Barnsley winger Reyes Cleary has been subject to a second bid from Championship side Blackburn Rovers.
Bristol City are another second-tier outfit said to be interested in joining the race, according to Alan Nixon’s Patreon.
This latest bid from Rovers is said to be £1.5m plus add-ons, but that still falls around three times lower than Barnsley’s valuation of Cleary. While the Robins may come with an improved offer, it remains to be seen if that’s any closer to the £5m mark.
Any side vying for the 21-year-old’s service will be acutely aware that Cleary only joined Barnsley in the summer, on a three-year deal. And the South Yorkshire outfit also have an option for a further year, meaning they hold all the cards.
The Birmingham-born forward has been in red-hot form this campaign, scoring five times and providing seven assists in 19 League One outings this term.
He drew national attention following his performance in the FA Cup 3rd Round against Liverpool earlier this month. TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist gave the winger his Man of the Match award, despite losing 4-1 at Anfield.
But those in the third tier were already fully aware of his talents this term. Back in October, he scored an incredible goal from inside his own half to level the scores against Bradford City.
And five goal contributions in just three games the following month saw Cleary named the EFL Young Player of the Month for November.
The youngster already has Championship experience with West Bromwich Albion, playing twice for the Baggies. A further five appearances in cup competitions were complemented by loan spells at Walsall and Hartlepool United last term, scoring six times for the latter.
Blackburn are hoping to avoid relegation to the third tier this campaign, as they battle with the likes of Oxford United and Portsmouth for second-tier survival.
Where Would This Leave Barnsley?
Barnsley are an extremely tough side to work out at the moment. A point at Reading yesterday afternoon leaves Conor Hourihane’s side four points clear of the drop zone.
Meanwhile, the gap to sixth-place Huddersfield Town currently stands at nine points, but the Tykes have a staggering five games in hand on their Yorkshire counterparts.
They are now three games unbeaten, but have just one win in their last six third-tier outings. And a compact schedule is inevitably going to lead to issues down the line, with 20 matches still to play this campaign.
In the next two months, the Tykes have seven midweek fixtures to contend with. Bodies are needed to cope with such a schedule, so losing players is the worst-case scenario for Hourihane.
Middlesbrough winger Charlie Lennon has already been recruited this window, with defence reinforcements in Owen Goodman and Eogan O’Connell. But with several players departing, the majority on loan, the Tykes must be looking for incomings as the final week of the window approaches.