Rumours that Shaun Goater has held talks with Bolton Wanderers are wide of the mark, according to the player's agent, Manchester City and their struggling Premiership rivals.

Goater, who scored his sixth goal of the season in Manchester City's 2-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday, was yesterday linked with a move to the Reebok Stadium as Sam Allardyce's side seek to avoid the relegation trapdoor.

The Bermudian, 33 next month, has been the subject of speculation in recent weeks in light of City's protracted talks with Leeds' Robbie Fowler.

City boss Kevin Keegan has resurrected a ?7-million deal for Fowler following the player's initial refusal to accept less than the ?50,000-a-week he is paid by the Yorkshire club (see story below).

United confirmed last night that a fee had been agreed between the two clubs, and that Fowler's advisor, George Scott, would be talking to the Manchester City chairman David Bernstein later.

With City having paid close to ?30-million for players since Keegan arrived in Manchester it is fair to assume that the board will be looking to recoup some of their outlay in the near future.

And with the Premiership transfer window two weeks old, stories have begun to surface about just who may be offloaded.

Goater had already been linked with Preston North End of Division One before yesterday's story in broke.

The newspaper led their sports pages with the article last night, declaring ‘Wanderers' striker target named'.

Reporter Neil Bonnar declared in his ‘exclusive' that Goater's game on Saturday “could be his last for the Blues with a switch to the Reebok possible within the next fortnight”.

“It is understood that Goater, who has scored better than a goal every two games since joining City almost five years ago, is having talks about a move to the Reebok,” Bonnar wrote.

It is with that last statement that the story begins to lose some of its credence. For Goater still has a year and a half of his contract to run at Maine Road and any approach to sign him without approaching City would represent a breach. Such things do happen but it is unlikely in this instance.

City would neither confirm or deny the story when contacted yesterday, a spokesman saying it was not club policy to comment on such speculation. That is a common response and not one that should immediately raise a red flag.

Wanderers also issued a denial though they did confirm they were in the market for a frontman.

Their top man, Michael Rickets, is attracting interest from Premiership rivals Spurs and he could leave the club within the month, opening the way for a new face to come in.

“This is news to us,” a Bolton spokesman said of the Goater connection. “But we are looking to bring in a striker and Sam (Allardyce) has his targets.”

Goater's agent Mark Georgevic concurred with Wanderers when contacted.

“Shaun is under contract and therefore any negotiations would take place between the two clubs,” he said.

“Shaun would only be free to talk to any other club if he had been given permission by his employer and nobody has spoken to me about it.”

However, Georgevic did say it was fair to assume that Goater did have potential suitors out there.

“I suppose I would not be surprised,” he said. “Shaun has done phenomenally well for Manchester City and has proven he can do it in the Premier League. I am sure there would be clubs that would be interested.

“Maybe Manchester City, who are spending a fortune, need to recover some monies. But I know nothing about it.”

The player himself said yesterday that he was determined to remain at City despite the predicted influx of new blood.

“As a player it would be silly to think that the club is going to stand still. This club is growing and progressing and it is only natural that some people will be left behind,” he said. “New players will come in and push those already here by setting higher standards. I expect that as a player. We are going from one era to another and moving forward very quickly.

“Of course I want to be here next year when that step to the new stadium is made. Manchester City is a brilliant club for me. Players don't often get attached to clubs but I have to this one.

“Why? The fans and their passion are certainly a big part of it. There is the constant feedback from them and over the years you get to feel the importance of the club to them and from them.”

Goater is a player that thrives on challenges and has confounded the critics by seeing off the likes of former World Footballer of the Year George Weah during his time at Maine Road. Should Fowler or anyone else be brought in he vowed to give them a run for their money.

“The only way for me to make sure I remain part of that is to do well when I get the opportunity and to score goals,” he said.