Cardiff City being strongly linked with a move for three players.
Welshman Joe Ledley is out of contract at Crystal Palace this summer and is available for no fee, although he would surely command substantial wages.
City would face competition from Scottish Premier League champions Celtic, who want to take Ledley back to Scotland.
Reports from the North of England say the Bluebirds are keen on Newcastle United and Scotland international centre-back Grant Hanley, while they are also being linked with Callum Paterson at Hearts.
Ledley, from Fairwater, would be tempted by a return to Cardiff, while Hanley is being chased by a number of clubs.
The 25-year-old, who made 10 league appearances during Newcastle’s Championship title-winning season, is also wanted by Derby County.
The £4m is likely to put off Cardiff, who are confident they will have central defenders Sol Bamba, Bruno Manga, Matt Connolly and Sean Morrison in their squad for 2016-17.
Bluebirds manager Neil Warnock is reported to have had positive talks with attacking full-back Paterson, a 22-year-old who would cost £400,000 in compensation. He has made 137 first team appearances for Hearts and was in their line-up when they won the Scottish Championship title, scoring seven goals.
Rangers have also been tracking the Scottish international.
Paterson, who won his club’s ‘Young Player of the Year award last season, is out of contract this summer, but Hearts would be entitled to compensation.
He is a right-back by trade and Cardiff have good options in that position with Lee Peltier, Connolly and Jazz Richards, but the versatile Paterson can also play on the wing or in attack.
Warnock is working tirelessly on his squad for next season and has verbally agreed new contracts with wingers Junior Hoilett and Kadeem Harris, while he is still in talks with Manga and Peter Whittingham about new deals.
At least 10 Cardiff City players are expected to leave before the start of pre-season in July and at least four major signings are expected in plus uo to four number of back-up players.
Warnock is keen to keep players like Bamba, Aron Gunnarsson, Kenneth Zohore, Harris, Joe Ralls as his backbone for next season.
Adam Le Fondre and Tom Adeyemi will leave the club as free agents, while Warnock has yet to reveal any decisions on Stuart O’Keefe and Emyr Huws. Both were out on loan during the season just ended, O’Keefe at Milton Keynes Dons and Huws with Ipswich Town
Matty Kennedy is also due to be back with Cardiff for pre-season after a successful loan spell with promoted Plymouth Argyle.