Cherries today look set to revive their interest in Simon Francis after having an initial bid rejected for the Charlton Athletic defender.

Boss Lee Bradbury is keen to add his former Southend team-mate to his squad and Cherries are likely to table an improved offer to the Addicks.

Although details of the first bid have not been disclosed, sources in south London suggest it was considered “derisory” by Charlton officials.

Francis, who operates predominantly as a right-back, is midway through a two-year contract after joining the Addicks for £35,000 from Southend last summer.

A former England youth international, the 26-year-old started his career as an apprentice at Bradford City before earning a £200,000 move to Sheffield United in 2004.

Alongside Bradbury, he helped Southend win promotion to the Championship in 2006, going on to make 180 appearances for the Shrimpers.

Francis played 38 times for Charlton last season and Cherries’ League One rivals are understood to be hoping to recover at least their initial outlay for the player.

Speaking to the Daily Echo last night, Bradbury said: “We made a bid for Simon Francis and they came back and said it wasn’t near their valuation of the player.

“We are reassessing the matter. We are deciding whether we want to up the bid and also seeing what else is available for that type of money.”

Bradbury is also today finally hoping to put the finishing touches to the signing of Crystal Palace defender Adam Barrett.

The 31-year-old was expected to join Cherries yesterday after agreeing personal terms during a meeting with Bradbury at the Seward Stadium.

However, although the two clubs had already agreed a fee, the deal was apparently last night waiting to be rubber-stamped at the Palace end.

Barrett also played alongside Bradbury at Southend, as did former Portsmouth goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan, Cherries’ first summer recruit.

His arrival would bolster Cherries’ central defensive resources following the departure of skipper Jason Pearce to Portsmouth, with Barrett also likely to be a leading contender to captain the club.

Meanwhile, Bradbury’s players will be introduced to three new members of his |backroom staff when they return for the start of pre-season training today.

Sports therapist Dave Gardner, assistant strength and conditioning coach Jameson Mola and performance analyst Rob Page will join physio Steve Hard and conditioning coach Louis Langdown on the support team.

Cherries will start with a light running session in King’s Park today before visiting Solent University for their annual VO2 max testing tomorrow.

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