Cahill fears being forced out

Tim Cahill fears being forced out of Millwall after his £ 2million move to Crystal Palace went sour.

The Australia midfielder says the Lions want to sell him before the last year of his contract elapses and is worried that if he tries to stay at The Den he will be sidelined by the club.

Cahill, who has been with the Lions for eight years, rejected a move to Palace last week after a row over terms and has missed Millwall's pre-season tour to Canada.

The 24-year-old is concerned that he may now be left to rot in the reserves with manager Dennis Wise turning to summer signing Jody Morris instead in midfield.

Cahill issued a statement through his agents SFX after Palace chairman Simon Jordan claimed the only reason his transfer broke down was they demanded a £125,000 fee.

Jordan had said: "We offered him a substantial financial package so money shouldn't be a concern. The problem was his agent was demanding this money."

But Cahill denied the allegation and called for an end to the acrimonious episode.

He said: "It is simply untrue that agent fees prevented the transfer from going ahead.

"After lengthy discussions and having thought about the move with my family and advisors I decided that the transfer was not the right thing for me.

"I would like the Millwall fans to know that I've never asked to leave the club and with the prospect of UEFA Cup football this season there are exciting times ahead.

"I also want to make it clear that I've never been offered or turned down a new contract at Millwall.

"Having given the club eight years' service I do not want to be forced to leave if the situation is not right for me or my family."

Cahill's hopes of ending the episode appear to be ill-founded as his comments are bound to upset Millwall chairman Theo Paphitis.

Paphitis claimed he only agreed a fee with Palace because the Australian had made it clear he wanted to leave The Den.

The chairman said: "Tim has been a great servant but has increasingly made us aware of his desire to move on. We believe he could have realised his dreams of Premiership football at Millwall but clearly that is not something we can offer him this season."

This latest chapter in Cahill's transfer saga is bound to leave him in a difficult position at Millwall and leave a cloud over one of the most talented players outside the Premiership.