Barnsley head coach Paul Heckingbottom has admitted that clubs have bid for key defender Alfie Mawson but they have been flatly rejected.
Heckingbottom refused to elaborate on who has bid or what the values were but some sources claim that one of them is definitely Premier League side Sunderland- who are believed to have bid around £2m, rising to £3m with add ons.
Barnsley are keen to keep Mawson who, after an excellent second half of 2015-2016 has fitted seamlessly into Championship life and has even netted two headed goals already this season- against Derby and Huddersfield- but his sparking 2016 form (remember he started last season as captain before it was taken off him and handed to Conor Hourihane to help Mawson’s form) has led to serious interest from other clubs.
However Heckingbottom said:
“There have been bids for Alfie but that’s as far as it has gone. Whether we do accept a bid or not will depend on how big the bid is.
“He’s started this season where he left off last and has chipped in with a few goals and he’s been vital for us, but it’s not just the bid that’s important, it’s a replacement.
“We see Alfie as a top defender and he cost a lot of money. It’s not just about us getting good value, it’s about getting one in as well who can play as well as or has the potential to be as good as Alfie.
“I’m not resigned to losing him, had the owner have come and said that X amount would get the deal done then we’d do that, but he hasn’t said that. So he might still be here."