SAM Allardyce warned potential asset strippers today that there will be no bargains on offer in the Reebok summer sales. The Wanderers' boss is resigned to trawling the markets at home and abroad for free transfers and 'Bosman' deals until he is able to generate spending money by selling some of his best talent.

But he insists: "There will be no cheap deals. Any players who are sold will go at realistic fees. Anybody who can't come up with the bucks shouldn't even bother wasting their time."

Dismissive of continuous transfer speculation touting Eidur Gudjohnsen, Mark Fish and Claus Jensen for imminent moves, Allardyce is concentrating on trying to prevent his out-of-contract players quitting the Reebok and drawing up a list of possible new recruits. He admits he may need as many as eight close-season signings to bring his squad up to strength.

But he refuses to raise hopes of big money signings. "I don't want to deceive the fans," he explained, "because that would not be fair. Unfortunately, as I've said before, we are still a First Division club and have to live within the means of First Division football.

"That's left me with a difficult task but I'm not in a unique position. Most other First Division managers are in the same boat; Birmingham have told Trevor Francis that, if he wants to buy players, he's got to sell first.

"At the moment there are no transfer funds available here so I'm having to look in this country and abroad for Bosmans and frees. If I'm going to buy any players, I'm going to have to create the money by selling players. We're negotiating with a few but I can't say we're particularly close to clinching anything at the moment.

"At least I'm in the position of having some valuable assets here but nobody's going to be nicking them on the cheap!"

Allardyce held talks with Gudni Bergsson yesterday in a bid to get the club skipper to postpone his plan to return to Iceland. He has also made long-serving Jimmy Phillips an offer he hopes will keep him at the Reebok but is less confident of convincing AB Copenhagen to free Michael Johansen from the pre-contract agreement he signed in January.

"Gudni and Jimmy are considering offers," the manager confirmed, "and I hope I can keep them.

"AB are very much in charge of the situation with Michael. We'll just have to wait and see what happens with them."

Former Wanderers' keeper Keith Branagan, who was on the bench at Wembley on Monday when Ipswich clinched promotion to the Premiership with their 4-3 play-off victory over Barnsley, has been offered a new contract by the Suffolk club.