SOCCER NEWS ROUND-UP:  Despite reports of interest from clubs in both England and Italy, Nicky Colgan said yesterday he was still waiting for a firm offer for next season. The 29-year-old goalkeeper insisted he had not ruled out seeing out the remaining 12 months of his contract at Hibernian.

"I know Kevin (Hughes, his agent) has been trying to drum up interest," he said, "and there has been talk of a few clubs having had a look at me, but so far I don't think there has been anything much beyond that.

"I don't really know whether managers at other clubs would have their budgets for next year or whether they would know what they can do before they know which of their current players will be leaving, but it would be nice to have a solid offer, or at least someone getting on the phone and saying they would definitely be interested in taking me. That hasn't happened, though, and until it does I'm still a Hibs player."

Hibernian manager Bobby Williamson has made it clear more than once he needs to reduce the wage bill at Easter Road and move members of the present squad out so that he can make new signings, but Colgan admits that he may yet find himself at the club for another year.

"It's a very strange position, to be honest," he says. "Even today I had to ask the manager when preseason training starts and then ask him for a few extra days off because of the international games. He was good enough to say that I could have the extra time, but both of us know that depending on how things go I mightn't be back at all."

One of the clubs Colgan has been linked with is Sunderland, where Mick McCarthy is expected to do a good deal of rebuilding over the close season.

"I know the situation at Sunderland, they have four goalkeepers, and while there's been talk of a couple going Mart Poom only signed last year and I wouldn't imagine that he will be leaving.

"I wouldn't want to shoot anything down, though. Kevin asked me was there anything he should rule out and I said 'no'. My family is very settled here, but if an offer came in from Italy (Torina and Siena are both reported to have expressed an interest in the Drogheda-born goalkeeper) then I'd certainly be interested.

"It has to be the right offer for me, though. If a Premiership club (Bolton and Birmingham have been linked with the Irishman) came in with an offer of good money to sit on the bench, then you might say, 'well, that's very good money', but I've had a taste of playing first team football and at 29 it would be very hard to take the step back, particularly when there is the possibility of playing international football."

Former under-21 international John McGrath, meanwhile, has been released by Aston Villa. The 23-year-old midfielder from Limerick, who moved to England four years ago, played three first team games for the club but spent most of the past season on loan to Dagenham and Redbridge.