NEIL Lennon would be tempted to offer Kevin Nolan a return to Bolton Wanderers – if the money was right.

While the Whites boss did his level best to play down suggestion that the 33-year-old could return to the club that launched his professional career, he did not rule a deal out completely.

Nolan is training with Leyton Orient following his release at West Ham and has been looking to engineer a move to the North West.

The midfielder’s reported £25,000-a-week demands would put him well beyond Wanderers’ current budget and make a move virtually impossible.

But Lennon left the door slightly ajar when pressed on his thoughts at his weekly press conference yesterday.

“It comes down to finances but I’m not sure Kevin fits the criteria of what we are looking for,” he said. “I don’t know whether we could afford him.

“He’s certainly a good type and I’ve always liked him. He knows where the goal is as a midfielder.

“I know his reputation at Bolton is very good and if we could do a deal, then possibly.”

Nolan spent 10 years with Wanderers from 1999, helping establish them as a Premier League force and taking over from Jay Jay Okocha as captain in 2005.

He moved to Newcastle in January 2009 for £4million and followed Sam Allardyce to Upton Park two years later.

The remotest chance of a return for the Liverpudlian will go down well among Whites fans, many of whom have lobbied the club to bring Nolan – a man with three Championship promotions under his belt – back into the camp.

His goal return has been impressive down the years – 111 in 522 career appearances – but especially so in his last two seasons outside the top flight for Newcastle and the Hammers, where he shared a combined 31 goals.

It seems likely that any free cash at Lennon’s disposal will be spent on a striker, although the manager has not got his sights set on one particular name at present.

“Money is tight but I think there’s enough in the pot to bring in one player,” he said. “There isn’t anyone specific at the moment, we’re just re-examining the list and then we’ll see where it goes from there.”