CITY will look to send Aaron Mclean straight back out on loan when he returns from Peterborough.

Mclean’s ten-week stay at his former club is now up and he is due to come back to Valley Parade.

But it is hard to see the striker featuring in Phil Parkinson’s plans again and the club will push to find someone else to take him for the remainder of the season. Then they can sit down with him in the summer to thrash out a solution for the final year of his contract.

City had hoped that Peterborough would be willing to keep Mclean until May. But it is understood that they are reluctant to carry on paying their chunk of his sizeable wages – thought to be 30 per cent.

Posh boss Darren Ferguson claims City are looking at one of his players and said a deal might still be done, which could suit all parties.

If nothing can be sorted with Peterborough or elsewhere by the time the transfer window shuts on Monday, Mclean could still go out as an emergency loan from the following week.

League Two Portsmouth and Luton were both keen to take the 31-year-old when City first made him available for loan but Mclean did not want to drop down a level. The club will want to see if that stance has softened when he returns.

Parkinson said: “I’m sure there will be dialogue with Aaron and his agent in the next day or so.”

Mclean made ten appearances for Posh but last started a game on December 28. He has seen only half an hour’s action since in three outings from the bench.

He scored once at Leyton Orient, where he also netted for City last season, but made a costly late penalty miss in the FA Cup second round against Colchester.

Grabbing the spot-kick ahead of expected taker Conor Washington, Mclean’s effort was saved – and the home side went straight up the other end and scored the only goal.

Mclean will always be a huge favourite at London Road from his prolific first spell when he scored 84 goals in 187 games, playing his part in back-to-back promotions.

But he failed to rekindle that form this time around in a struggling team and had dropped down the pecking order to fourth-choice striker.

City, in contrast, have lost only three times in the league since Mclean was last involved in the squad at Oldham in October.

He has scored three for the Bantams this season in wins over Morecambe, MK Dons and Crewe.

Meanwhile, City's trip to Coventry has been moved to Tuesday, March 10. It was originally scheduled for the weekend of the FA Cup fifth round.