DOVER Athletic manager Clive Walker will know in the next few days whether he has the services of Danny Chapman at his disposal this season.

Chapman has promised to inform Walker and chairman Jim Parmenter by the weekend whether he is prepared to accept the offer that Whites have put to the experienced defender/midfielder.

Chapman, who played the full 90 minutes in Tuesday’s 2-0 friendly victory over Charlton, said: "The club have made me an offer, which I am considering, but we are not a million miles apart and I have said I will let them know by the weekend."

Walker has made it clear how much he wants to sign Chapman, who was allowed to leave Dover at the end of 2003-04 season and subsequently joined Conference outfit Eastbourne Borough.

Walker said: "Danny would be an important signing for us because he can play in a number of positions, but it’s up to him now."

Initially, when Chapman made his desire to return to Crabble known after exiting from Eastbourne last month, there were doubts that Whites would be able to afford another wage bill, having already set a strict playing budget for the coming season.

But Mr Parmenter revealed that the club had been able to make Chapman an offer "through a combination of finding money elsewhere in the budget, someone coming forward (with some money) who doesn’t wished to be named, and help from the Supporters’ Trust".

A minority of Whites’ fans posting messages on the club’s official website have been hostile to the prospect of Chapman returning because of his poor disciplinary record during his last spell at the club.

But most Dover fans appear to want the hard-tackling 30-year-old to return for a third spell at Crabble, having first signed for Whites from Welling Utd in 1999 when Athletic were in the Conference.

Dover’s pre-season build-up continues on Saturday with a clash with Walker’s former club Chatham Town at Crabble (3pm).

The Medway side are now at the same level as Whites, albeit in Southern League Division 1 East.

On Tuesday evening Walker’s men make the short journey to the newly-renamed Buzzlines Stadium to take on Folkestone Invicta in the Malcolm Welsh Memorial Shield match (7.45).

Dover will start the annual fixture technically as 'underdogs' for the first time as Folkestone managed to avoid relegation last season and remain in the Ryman League Premier Division.