Steve Staunton, the Republic of Ireland and Aston Villa player, had no comment to make yesterday on reports linking him with a £5 million transfer to Italian club Lazio. Staunton could become the first big-name player in Britain to benefit from the Bosman ruling which stipulates that players of 24 or over are free agents on the expiry of their contracts.

The rule becomes operative at the start of next season and Staunton, whose contract with Villa terminates in May, may well establish the benchmark for other Premiership players in his situation.

Lazio are said to be prepared to pay him a signing-on fee of £1 million with an additional £4 million spread over five years, fanciful figures in the context of British club football, but well within the price range of the top Italian clubs.

Staunton said that he was not prepared to comment on the Lazio story, but confirmed that he had spoken with Aston Villa's manager Brian Little about negotiating a new agreement which would keep him at Villa Park.

Little is thought to be ready to offer him the most lucrative deal in the club's history, but he acknowledged yesterday that it may not be enough. "We have had talks with Steve which are ongoing, but it will be difficult to keep him at the club. I had hoped to have it all finished by Christmas, but that is now unlikely."

Michael Kennedy, a London solicitor who represents a number of players including Staunton, said: "There have been inquiries from interested parties, but there is still a lot of talking to be done."

Kenny Dalglish, who signed the Irishman for Liverpool, would almost certainly be interested in bringing him to Newcastle United, but the reality is that, like Villa, they would be unable to match the terms which Lazio could offer if they are determined to sign the player.

Conscious of the rights of players in the post-Bosman era, most clubs now seek to tie them into longer-term contracts. Conversely, the more marketable individuals are now acutely aware of the financial risks inherent in such deals.

Last season, for example, Roy Keane, who is also represented by Michael Kennedy, agreed a new short-term extension to his contract, thought to be one of the most valuable in Britain, with Manchester United. However, he will will be free to leave the club if he chooses at the end of the 1998/99 season when he will be only 27.

Keane is now back in training following recent surgery to repair a torn cruciate ligament and, significantly, his projected comeback appearance is now being brought forward with every possibility of him returning before the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Staunton is in Aston Villa's team for this evening's UEFA Cup meeting with Steaua Bucharest, but Brian Little is still uncertain of the fitness of his top striker Dwight Yorke.

Yorke is recovering from a calf muscle strain and like Riccardo Scimeca, who missed the win over Coventry at the weekend, he is required to pass a late fitness test before the team is completed.

A new option was presented to the FAI yesterday in their attempt to put in place, for the New Year, an attractive preparatory programme for the European Championship qualifying campaign when South Korea intimated that they are prepared to host a visit by the Republic of Ireland in March.

The Koreans are anxious to familiarise themselves with British-style opposition and, in the process, obtain a line on form with Belgium, with whom they are drawn in Group E of the World Cup finals in France next summer.

Bernard O'Byrne acknowledged the receipt of the South Korean proposition, but given the inordinate travel involved, it is by no means certain that the invitation will be accepted. An invitation to send a team to Hong Kong last season was declined by Mick McCarthy on the basis that club managers would not be overly keen on players making such a long journey for a friendly game.

The South Korean invitation will be examined in further detail this week, but the likelihood is that McCarthy will opt to take his team to Switzerland instead. Talks to fill the vacant dates at Lansdowne Road in April and May are still in progress, but it now seems unlikely that Brazil will be taking up the May date when they arrive in Europe to complete their World Cup buildup. Their terms are thought to be prohibitive. The terms sought by Argentina are only marginally less demanding.

More realistic by far are the prospects for a game against Colombia and it is hoped to finalise talks with them before Christmas.