AIDY BOOTHROYD insists Marlon King is not for sale amid reports linking Watford's leading scorer with a move away from Vicarage Road next month.

King has this week been linked with a January move to Birmingham City, Fulham, Derby County and Wigan Athletic and sources claim the ten-goal striker is understood to believe that too much responsibility will rest on his shoulders should Watford be promoted.

The forward is understood to want to join an established Premiership outfit and is likely to be on a number of club's New Year's wish lists. However, King is contracted to the club until 2009 and is not going anywhere according to the Hornets manager.

"In a way it's good that our players are linked elsewhere," said Boothroyd. "But Marlon isn't going anywhere. We are working hard to get promotion and he's a part of that. When the time is right to let players go I will do that. The time is definitely not right for Marlon."

Gavin Mahon, meanwhile, will definitely leave the club in January after being told he will not be offered a new contract.

Boothroyd will explain the reasons behind his decision to part company with his skipper in his programme notes tomorrow (Saturday). The Hornets captain would appear to have played his last game for the Hornets and four other clubs are thought to be chasing the services of a player who turns 31 next month.

"I had a chat with Gavin and we'll be making a decision in the next few days on that one," added the Watford boss.

The manager has previously claimed that King, who was signed in 2005 for £500,000, was not for sale at any price, but unless the club obtain fresh investment, are the subject of a takeover or win promotion to the Premiership, Boothroyd could be forced to sell players to make up a significant projected shortfall this season.

Watford should generate similar cash to last season thanks to the sale of the corners of the ground to the St Pancras & Humanist Housing Association for £4.6m, a payment of £4.5m they will receive from Aston Villa for the sale of Ashley Young and the £11m Premiership parachute money.

The cost base - which rose from £12.2m to £27.2m last season - is likely to remain approximately the same even though the majority of the players have taken a wage reduction following relegation.

Others, however, such as King, Jay DeMerit, Darius Henderson and the manager himself all signed new money-spinning deals and the club recruited Nathan Ellington, Mart Poom, Jobi McAnuff and Matt Jackson on lucrative contracts. First-team coach Martin Hunter and John Stephenson, the new head of recruitment, also joined Boothroyd's extensive backroom staff during the summer.

However, the club which started the financial year with £600,000 cash in the bank, are £2.6m overdrawn and also have £9.4m owing to creditors within the next year. This includes the repayment of the Russos' loans and the money they spent on transfers last January. The club also need to find £9.5m to complete the funding for the redevelopment of the ground.

Watford will receive some money from Fulham for the sale of Hameur Bouazza but that will be offset by the transfers fees paid to Crystal Palace and West Brom for McAnuff and Ellington respectively.

Asked if the club anticipated it's cost base remaining the same for this season as the 2006/07 campaign, a club spokesman said: "As an AIM listed company people will be aware that we are unable to discuss current year financial details."