Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce has made a £5million bid to sign his old Manchester United team-mate Nicky Butt.
Today's Daily Mirrorreports that Bruce hopes to get permission to speak to the England midfielder before the weekend from his old United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The England midfielder has been linked with a move to Middlesbrough and Newcastle since he handed in his transfer request last week.
He was heralded as one of the players of the 2002 World Cup by none other than Pele but has found it increasingly difficult to hold down a first team place at Old Trafford since the arrival of fresh midfield competition in the summer.