Southend United boss Paul Sturrock says he is in negotiations with Peterborough United over a permanent deal for midfielder Josh Simpson.Simpson is on loan at Roots Hall but interest is high in the 23-year-old, with Crawley Town also believed to be chasing his signature.
Sturrock told BBC Essex: "He's got a week left but obviously there's been offers made from other football clubs.
"Teams are trying to take this player so we've got to compete with that."
The former Cambridge United and Histon player has made just eight starts for Posh since turning his loan switch from Histon into a permanent move last January.
He has been on loan at the Shrimpers since the beginning of the season, scoring twice in 24 appearances, but is scheduled to return to London Road shortly.
Despite Southend's financial problems, Sturrock is hopeful he can bolster his squad during the transfer window.
"We have targets we'd like to try and bring to the football club but at the same time we've got to try and balance that with moving players out," he said.
"So there's a lot of work going to have to be done over January.
"The problem we've got is we play Rotherham, Chesterfield and Bury, three top teams, in a row.
"We've got to make sure our squad is strong enough to handle that, so we're trying to get players out - which is always difficult - but it's important we strengthen our squad at the same time."
Source: BBC Sport
Source: BBC Sport