Morrison deal seems dead

Birmingham seem to have cooled their interest in Palace striker Clinton Morrison after the club rejected the Midlanders offer of £5m for the highly rated Palace star. Palace chairman Simon Jordan has said that Birmingham's offer for Morrison did not meet his valuation and therefore the deal is off. It is believed, however, that Birmingham manager Steve Bruce has returned to Palace with an offer of £5m plus striker Andy Johnson. Any deal will have to be done quickly if Morrison is to leave, as Birmingham have, it seems, switched their attention to Emmanuel Olisadebe.
Meanwhile on the injury front, Kit Symons will be out for anything up to 12 weeks, having suffered a hip injury during pre season training. There is better news on Aki Riihilahti's elbow injury however. He is progressing well following an operation and should be fit for the start of the season, although he will be a couple of weeks behind the other players in terms of fitness. Ade Akinbiyi is also progressing well following his operation and although he will miss the start of the new campaign, it is hoped that he will be fit to play come September time.