Kolo Toure’s Wigan is looking to sign former England defender Steven Caulker

Wigan are in talks with former England defender Steven Caulker, who has spent the last four years in Turkey.

Manager Kolo Toure sees the 31-year-old Caulker as an aid to strengthening his bottom team.

The centre-back scored in his only England appearance against Sweden in 2012 and after spells at 14 different clubs including Tottenham and Liverpool, he played for Fatih Karagumruk in Turkey’s top flight this season.

Steven Caulker has been linked with Wigan with a move back to English football

Kolo Toure’s side need defensive stability after three consecutive 4-1 defeats

He most recently played during a three-year stint at QPR in England, where he was loaned out twice before finally being sold to Dundee in 2018.

The central defender then moved to Alanyaspor and has since established himself as a regular in the Super Lig.

Caulker has also recently returned to international football, despite representing Sierra Leone and having played ten games in the past year.

After playing a game for England a decade ago, Caulker (right) now represents Sierra Leone

For Wigan, strengthening the back will be a key priority. Before Saturday’s 1-1 FA Cup draw against Luton, they had suffered three consecutive 4-1 defeats and are bottom of the table.

Toure has been open about needing new players in his squad, telling BBC Manchester: “Obviously we see some players and they want to come here and it’s up to us to make those decisions.

“The market is open and once it’s open there is movement. The movement can be fast or slow, but we definitely have some movement.’