SAM Allardyce is hoping to keep Ibrahim Ba at the Reebok after the Frenchman backtracked over his threatened refusal to play for Wanderers in Saturday's FA Cup tie at Tranmere.

The Frenchman told the manager to count him out of the third round tie after contract talks broke down, but then became a surprise inclusion in Wanderers line-up.

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Ba was not happy with the deal on offer and, although his contract only runs out next Thursday, had threatened topull out of the cup squad for fear of jeopardising his chances of signing for another English club.

Allardyce wants to keep the former AC Milan midfielder but knows he will lose him next week if terms cannot be agreed.

The Wanderers' boss said on Friday: "Hopefully we can sort his contract out because I wouldn't want to lose him. He is eligible to play for us until January 8 but he doesn't want to get himself cup-tied."

Allardyce says he cannot press ahead with plans to sign Atletico Madrid striker Javi Moreno until the Ba wrangle is resolved.

"We are two or three stages further on with that deal," the manager said. "But my biggest concern at the moment is Ba refusing to sign his contract.

"It would be frustrating if we lost him because we'll have got him fit for somebody else's benefit. And it will mean us having to look for another player, but that's the risk you take with short-term contracts."

Ba was a regular in the Champions League with Milan before things turned sour at the San Siro. When Wanderers signed him on a six-month deal in the summer, Allardyce said he needed a period of mental as well as physical rehabilitation. Recently he has spoken of him as a possible stand-in while Jay-Jay Okocha is on international duty later this month.

Allardyce, who has spoken of Manchester City's unwanted midfielder Eyal Berkovic as a possible transfer target, has told Republic of Ireland midfielder Gareth Farrelly he has no future at the Reebok.

"Gareth is a very good player, but he hasn't proved that in the Premiership," the manager said. "He's on loan at Bradford and we've told him to try to secure his future there or elsewhere in the First Division."