Keith Curle refused to rule out a move for Chesterfield's Gary Liddle as he set out his plan to ship players out to make room for new signings.

The Carlisle United boss has been strongly linked with the versatile midfielder who he managed at Notts County.

Curle was coy on the possibility of a deal for Liddle - which some sources claimed could even happen today - but admitted he was a fan of the 30-year-old.

"He's a player I've worked with before and know what he's about," Curle said.

"At the minute I don’t think he's available and I don’t think Chesterfield want to lose him. [But] if Gary Liddle is available then we are interested, as will be probably 95 per cent of other teams in this division."

Hartlepool have been keen on bringing Liddle back to Victoria Park but reports elsewhere suggest a deal with Carlisle could be close.

Curle failed in a bid for the player in 2015, while it remains to be seen whether the situation will be complicated by yesterday's departure of Chesterfield boss Danny Wilson.

Liddle played in the Spireites' 2-0 defeat against his former club Bradford on Saturday.

United, meanwhile, have yet to comment on reports that left-back Kevin Wright, who is on a short-term deal at the club, is a target for Norwegian outfit Levanger FK.

But Curle has admitted he needs to create space on the wage bill in order to afford fresh talent.

That is in contrast to his claim last week that he had received the "green light" to make signings before players left the club.

The manager said a reassessment of the finances at the club had left him needing to move players on.

He explained the predicament to his current squad in the dressing room after Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Colchester.

The Blues boss said: "I've had to be honest with them and tell them the situation.

"I need to bring some players in because of the situation we are at.

"Unfortunately, to do that, because of the finances of the club, and my budget, I need to manoeuvre players in the opposite direction to free up funds."

Curle said he would now hold face-to-face talks with the players he is prepared to let leave the club.

He admitted United were "close to capacity" with their wage bill and said last week's deal to extend Macaulay Gillesphey's loan had changed his view - aired in last Thursday's press conference - that he was free to make further signings without first parting with his own players.

Curle added: "The budget info is ever changing. We had to realign the figures we posted to the Football League to bring Macaulay in, because initially there was concerns from the Football League that that registration might not have been able to go through. We had to put in revised figures."

United remained third in League Two, four points above the play-off places, despite Saturday's heaviest defeat of the season.

While Kurtis Guthrie fired a hat-trick, Curle said his defence also gave strike partner Chris Porter "an easy afternoon".

It was the first time Carlisle have suffered back-to-back league defeats for nearly two years.

Curle, who was missing virus victims Michael Raynes and Russell Penn, said United created enough chances to have made it a closer contest but conceded their recent defensive record was "diabolical".

United's youth team were beaten 3-0 at Blackpool.