Dean Saunders will seek assurances over Crawley’s financial situation before deciding whether to take the vacant manager’s job.

Saunders is set for talks at the Checkatrade.com Stadium tomorrow after Reds cancelled the year left on John Gregory’s contract on Saturday.

Saunders had taken over on an interim basis from Gregory in December when the former Aston Villa boss stepped down in order to undergo major heart surgery.

Gregory was initially meant to return over the summer if he was deemed fit enough but Crawley have decided to seek a fresh approach.

Saunders would be a popular choice among fans despite being unable to save Reds from relegation to League Two but has stated he will only take the job if he has the resources for a promotion challenge.

He said: “We’ve got a few things to discuss about the way forward so we’ll sit down tomorrow and then come to a decision after that.

“We’ve only had couple of a brief chats since the final game of the season because the club were still sorting things out with John.

“I think they want me to stay but I need to make sure everything is right. I need to know what the budget is going to be and which players the club are going to be able to keep hold of.”

Crawley could also face competition for Saunders from Chesterfield with the former Albion striker one of the frontrunners to replace Paul Cook following news of his switch to Portsmouth yesterday.

Reds, who also dispensed with head coach Paul Groves and their entire backroom staff, are keen to make an appointment by the end of the week when the retained list is due to be announced.