Burgess Hill are set to turn down a four-figure offer for Steve Harper.

But director Eddie Benson has not ruled out losing their star striker if the club receive an improved bid.

Tonbridge Angels are keen to sign Harper, who scored 27 goals last season.

And with the club facing legal action over use of their floodlights at Leylands Park, they may reluctantly be forced to offload one of their best players.

Benson said: "Steve will play for us tomorrow at Tooting and nothing will happen until the manager (Gary Croydon) gets back from a business trip to Munich.

"However, the immediate feeling is they have not offered enough, although it is a four-figure fee.

"The offer will be discussed and if Tonbridge come back with a bid we feel is sufficient and it is suitable for Steve, we may be forced to accept."

Benson admits Hillians are prepared to listen to offers for one of the club's 'crown jewels' because they fear a big fine relating to the use of their floodlights.

The club have already released seven players in recent weeks to cut costs and are preparing for the worst possible outcome.

Benson said: "We are very concerned about the pending legal action. We know we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario and cannot pre-judge what is going to happen.

"We are being taken to court by the local council over breaches of the floodlight agreement and face fines totalling £18,000.

"If things go badly for us in court then there would be no point in trying to continue pushing this club forward."

Rumours have been circulating about the financial situation at Hillians and manager Gary Croydon said last week that the directors would not invest any more money in the club.

Benson said: "The financial situation is tight this year but it was tight last season and the season before that.

"We have decided to take the stand now because we have continued to invest in the club since becoming a limited company three and a half years ago.

"We cannot continue to sustain that investment and are cutting our cloth accordingly.

"This season we have assembled a squad with the full intention of going for promotion, which is still the case, but we now have to alter the wage structure with this court case hanging over us because we do not know what is going to happen.

"It has become clear to us that the local authorities do not want us to push on as a club and it does make you question why we are doing it.

"We are very concerned about the support of the local authority and we have issues with the residents' association."

The Hillians are at Tooting and Mitcham tomorrow and should have defender Sean Edwards available after illness ruled him out of the midweek defeat at Hastings United.

Ben Fillery has joined the Hillians on a month's work experience from Albion while the club hope to extend Danny Davis' loan from Lewes.