THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION of Ireland are in ‘advanced talks’  with their English counterparts in London about the possibility of an international friendly at the Aviva Stadium next summer.

Philip Quinn in the Irish Daily Mail reports that the game is expected to be scheduled for Wednesday, June 8.

It will be, of course, the first senior meeting of the sides since the abandoned friendly at the old Lansdowne Road stadium in 1995.

There is a gap in England’s itinerary because of the collapse of the FA’s plans for a match in Thailand.

The game was arranged as part of the horse-trading with other associations in the build-up to the World cup bid vote in Zurich last week.

When the Thai delegate Worawi Makudi failed to support the English bid however, the tie was scrapped.

If the three Lions rocked up to Ballsbridge next summer, it could be worth up to €4m to the cash-strapped FAI, writes Paul Lennon in the Irish Daily Star.

The cash would boost the Abbotstown coffers in the wake of recent staff redundancies, the non-renewal of Packie Bonner’s contract and Giovanni Trapattoni’s high-profile pay cut.

An announcement is expected this side of Christmas, according to the Star