Curle: Cobblers in 'financial negotiations' over players leaving

There are a number of squad members who have been short on regular game-time this season, including the likes of Billy Waters and Reece Hall-Johnson, so January may provide an opportunity for any of those fringe players to seek a move elsewhere, either permanently or, more likely, on loan.

But Curle has stressed the importance of any move being right for both Northampton and the player in question, and only because another club expresses interest it doesn't necessarily mean a transfer will materialise.

"I've had phonecalls from a couple of clubs regarding interest in our players and we're just going through the financial negotiations between the two football clubs," said Curle.

"We've got a value on the players and that value is the money that we pay them and when other clubs come in they obviously try and give a contribution towards wages.

"But sometimes that falls short of our expectations and valuations of what we demand back for the player and once that's sorted out it gets taken to the player.

"Sometimes, the player might not want that challenge or opportunity and they might not see it as the right one for themselves.

"So it's not just a foregone conclusion that somebody comes in for one of our players, offers an amount of money and then they leave. It's not that simple.

"The valuation has to be met and it's got to be the right value that I put on the player and the club puts on the player and then it's about whether or not that move fits with the player.

"It's the same when it's the other way around and I'm looking at players."