KEY POINTS:
England-based Ryan Nelsen, Simon Elliott and Chris Killen are in the sights of New Zealand men's Olympic soccer coach Stu Jacobs.
The 15 under-23 players in the 18-man squad to represent New Zealand/Oceania in Beijing will be named in the next couple of weeks.
Jacobs is also hoping to name his allowable three "over-age" players at the same time but must first check their availability and get the support of their respective clubs.
Nelsen remains at the top of Jacobs' shopping list but he admits getting the Blackburn captain on a plane to Beijing might prove difficult as the Olympic football tournament clashes with the start of the 2008-09 English Premier League.
Nelsen will again be torn "between club and country" in arriving at his decision.
He will also need to juggle Confederations Cup/World Cup qualifying games in his schedule this year.
"It is a delicate situation with Ryan and there are things I need to sort out before I get back to him with definite dates," said Jacobs.
"We have about seven over-age players on our list and all have expressed their desire to play [at the Olympics]. We just have to sort out the question of availability."
Nelsen has rarely played for the national team in recent years, with injury, club commitments and the birth of his first child ruling him out.
Elliott has been sidelined through injury for much of the past year but has recently returned to the Fulham reserves and hopes to get back to first-team football.
Killen, with Scottish premiers Celtic, has also said he is keen to play but his situation too is unclear.
Jacobs has made no promises to the trio other than saying he was offering them the chance to play at an Olympic Games.
"They have all been happy to accept that," he said.
If any of these players are not available, Jacobs is likely, in the first instance, to look to Wellington Phoenix players Shane Smeltz and Tony Lochhead.
The 15 under-23 players are almost sure to come from the squad who won the Oceania qualifying tournament.
"We hope to name these players soon so we have a good three months to prepare."
