Gareth Southgate is locked in a compo row with Middlesbrough.
The People says Southgate remains on the Boro payroll despite being "relieved of his duties" as manager, with Riverside chairman Steve Gibson refusing to pay up a contract which does not expire until June 2011.
And Southgate, who was axed to make way for Gordon Strachan with Boro just a point off the Championship summit, is desperate to resolve the issue so he can find another management job.
He has told the LMA he wants a compromise deal thrashed out with Boro quickly, but the club's chief executive Keith Lamb wants to play it tough.