CHESTER CITY are to have talks this week with the former Everton player Paul Gerrard, as their search for another goalkeeper intensifies.
City's only registered shot-stopper is John Danby, and the club have been working tirelessly to bring in an experienced player to work alongside the 22-year-old.
Gerrard, who made 90 Premier League appearances for Everton, was released by Nottingham Forest at the end of last season.
City chairman Stephen Vaughan said: "We have arranged to meet Paul and his agent to discuss a possible deal. We are aware that there are other clubs interested in signing him, but we will jointly explore if there is any common ground between us.
"We have a couple of other keepers who we are monitoring, but we will not move until a player of the correct quality becomes available."
Meanwhile, Chester have been hit with a further injury blow. Central defender Phil Bolland dislocated a shoulder during Tuesday's friendly match against Stoke City which will rule him out for two months, and yesterday midfielder Glenn Cronin fractured a metatarsal bone in his foot during training, which could see him sidelined for two to three months.
"This is another serious blow to us, but we have just got to get on with things. We have built up a fairly big squad here at Chester this season, and it's at times like this when it pays dividends," said Vaughan.
If they can get permission from Huddersfield Town, City are to reduce prices even further for the club's final friendly fixture of the summer, at the Deva Stadium on Saturday, July 29.
"Because we split the gate receipts of these games 50-50 we have to get approval from Huddersfield but this is a way of hopefully attracting a bumper crowd, and saying thank you to our fans for their support at Chester City," added Vaughan.
City play the second pre-season game tonight against Belgian Premier League club Cercle Brugge at the Deva Stadium (kick off 7.45pm).
