WANDERERS will step up their chase for Northern Irish defender Eoin Toal this week.

The club will send a delegation, including technical performance director Chris Markham, to speak with Derry City this week to try and thrash out a deal for the highly-rated centre-back.

Toal wanted to shelve talks last week as he prepared for a Europa Conference League qualifier against Latvian side Riga, in which his side were eventually beaten 2-0.

But Bolton are confident they will be able to tempt Derry into selling the 23-year-old, who has been capped by Northern Ireland at every youth level including Under-21s.

Toal signed for Derry in 2017 from Armagh and has gone on to make more than 150 senior appearances. He became the club’s youngest-ever captain in 2018 but his contract runs out at the end of the year and local sources claim he is keen to test himself in English football.

Ian Evatt believes the young defender has the technical skills to be a success in his system and has been on the lookout for a new central defender all summer.

It is understood that Bolton are not the only English club who have enquired about Toal in the past few weeks but Derry have been insistent that he stay on to complete the two-legged game against Riga before he is allowed to leave the Brandywell Stadium.

Wanderers have already added a left-sided defender this summer in Jack Iredale but it is felt they are short on competition for the right, where Gethin Jones and Ricardo Santos are currently covered by Will Aimson.

Meanwhile, it is expected that Connor Stanley will travel with the first team as cover for the injured Amadou Bakayoko to feature in the behind closed doors friendly against Watford in Colney tomorrow.

The former Manchester United youth teamer signed for the B Team last month and has already impressed on the training ground.

Matt Craddock’s B Team play their first friendly against Atherton Colls on Wednesday night, with further games planned against Bamber Bridge, Southport and Warrington.

Further games are expected to be organised before the Central League fixtures start at the end of August.

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