SAM Allardyce will refuse to bow to pressure to sign Florent Laville before he is ready.

The Reebok boss is aware that rival clubs are being linked with the 29-year-old Lyon defender, who plays his last game for Wanderers at Southampton today.

The man nicknamed 'The Rock' has been a revelation at the heart of a defence which has kept five clean sheets in the last seven games.

Agents are doing their job of trying to get the player a move as quickly as possible but the time for Wanderers to move will not be until they know which division they will be in next season.

If today's results go the right way Wanderers could be safe by 7.25pm tonight. Otherwise Allardyce will be able to start planning for next season after next Sunday's final Premiership game of the season against Middlesbrough at the Reebok.

Allardyce knows agents will try to accelerate a move for their man but insists he will not be rushed.

"Agents will tell you their player is wanted by half a dozen clubs but you don't take pressure from them to make a decision," said Allardyce, who maintains he is in pole position to get his man if Wanderers stay up.

"You make decisions when you are ready.

"Florent is very happy and comfortable with us and possession is 90 per cent of the law.

"But if we lose him, we lose him. That's a fact we always have to accept because we can offer smaller financial packages than anyone else.

"All the players who are on loan are up for discussion at the end of the season.

"If I could I would keep them all whatever happens because even if we went down we would come straight back up with this team.

"I am speaking from a football point of view, not as somebody who runs the finances of a football club. But as an entrepreneur, if we take this team into the First Division we have a great chance of bouncing back and that is a guaranteed £20 million for the club.

"It is not certain we would win it but it is 90 to 95 per cent certain with all the players we have here.

"But that is not reality anyway because a lot of the players wouldn't want to play in the First Division."