THE man aiming to broker the deal that would bring Rivaldo to Bolton Wanderers is "very positive" that the Brazilian World Cup winner will say "Yes" to Sam Allardyce.

Peter Harrison, the English agent acting for the former World Footballer of the Year, believes Reebok chiefs are close to clinching the most sensational signing in the club's history.

"With a transfer of this size you can never be 100 per cent sure but Sam's made his offer and things are going very well," Harrison said.

"There's nothing untoward about the delay. Rivaldo just wanted time to think about it.

"I know for sure that Sam made a good impression on him and so did Phil Gartside. Everything's looking good."

Rivaldo, who spent the weekend in Barcelona, where he is selling his former home, was due to fly back to Manchester today to resume negotiations that began at Salford's Lowry Hotel on Thursday when he met Allardyce and Gartside for the first time.

Wanderers are worried that news of their audacious bid to sign one of the world's most famous footballers could spark rival bids which might scupper their chances. Gartside voiced his fears when he admitted that the chances of success had dropped to 50-50 after the story hit the headlines across the world.

Harrison, who helped bring Eidur Gudjohnsen to Bolton in 1998, confirmed he had been contacted by "a few clubs", including two as recently as yesterday while he was attending the Newcastle-Chelsea match. But he still put Wanderers in pole position.

"Sam was the first one in and I respect Sam," he said. "I think he could be the man to resurrect Rivaldo's career.

"It would be great move for the player and a great move for Bolton. Sam's great at man-management and I'm sure he would get the best out of him.

"He's still got so much to offer. He scored for Brazil in November -- and they are the top team in the world."

Rivaldo, who had five glorious seasons at Barcelona but struggled to live up to his sky-high reputation at AC Milan, will not come cheap. But the money is not his only motivation.

He has had lucrative offers to play in Qatar and Japan, but knows a move out of mainstream football would jeopardise his chances of regaining his place in the national squad and wreck any chance he may have of playing in his third World Cup finals in 2006.

"The national coach has told him that, if he plays in the Premiership, whether it's with Manchester United or Bolton Wanderers, he'll be back in the squad," Harrison added.

"That's a great incentive for him, but we'll have to wait and see what happens."

Allardyce dismissed suggestions that Wanderers would be taking a dangerous gamble if they signed Rivaldo.

"This guy can add so much more than we've ever seen if he's a success," he said. "And it would not be a big financial risk. I found out last January he might be available, but at the time it was a bit more than we could afford.

"But we can do it now because we always cover ourselves with every contract we offer. We've done that since we got back in the Premiership and we won't gamble with the club's financial position by over-extending ourselves."