Town boss Roy Keane has confirmed that the Blues' double bid for Sunderland duo Daryl Murphy and Dean Whitehead has collapsed. While not confirming the identity of the targeted pair, Keane revealed that he will now be moving on to other options.
Keane, speaking from the pre-season camp in Portugal, told the club site: "We did have two players in mind to bring to the club and were hopeful something could be sorted out last week, but that has not come to fruition. We will now look elsewhere and have identified other targets."
Town had agreed a £5 million fee with Sunderland for the duo, but, as reported over the weekend, Whitehead turned down personal terms, while Hull City were reported to have made a move for Murphy, who it appears will hold talks with the Tigers later this week, despite Hull manager Phil Brown playing down his club's interest.
The Blues first team squad return from Portugal on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's game at Brentford, before the friendlies in Ireland against Waterford and Cork on Friday and Sunday.