WANDERERS will be going all-out in the next couple of days to strike a deal with Barrow to land manager Ian Evatt.

Negotiations will be picked up this morning, with Bolton now understood to have agreed to pay the compensation in one chunk.

The next hurdle will be to establish exactly what Barrow are due – but sources at the club insist that while a 'Plan B' is in place, every effort is being made to settle the matter quickly and amicably.

The argument centres on the interpretation of Evatt’s contract, signed in October 2019, with Wanderers maintaining that certain compensation clauses should not yet have kicked in as the new season in League Two has not yet begun.

A figure of £250,000 has been leaked out to the Cumbrian press – but has been strongly denied in other quarters.

The Bolton News has learned that an opening offer – seemingly rejected by Barrow – was around £150,000.

Evatt initially wanted to bring in assistant manager Peter Atherton and then form his own coaching set up at Bolton but speculation has surfaced over the weekend that Barrow could offer his number two a chance to continue in the main job.