Boss Roy Keane has revealed that Town turned down a loan bid earlier in the week. The Blues manager wouldn’t be drawn on either the club or the player involved.
Keane said: "One came the other day which we turned down for one of our players.”
Derby boss Nigel Clough confirmed that his club had made an enquiry regarding Jon Stead earlier in the week, but this seems unlikely to be the move which was rebuffed.
Keane says that if clubs want his players, then they should make firm offers: "They can make enquiries all they want.
"I was on to a manager last night for a good half an hour. You chat, you discuss players, you discuss possibilities, but if clubs are interested in any of my players, then they should make an offer.”
Keane says his own search for two loan players goes on: "It continues. There have been some calls over the last one or two days both for players from our club and I’ve made enquiries for one or two others and there may be news next week. But nothing will happen today.”
Town will be without striker Jon Walters at Plymouth on Saturday due to the sprained ankle he suffered on Tuesday. The injury is not serious and the former Chester man should be back in training within days.
Meanwhile, Connor Wickham, who also misses the Plymouth game as he is away with the England U17s, has been speculatively linked with Chelsea. The Premier League side are said to see him as a potential target with their transfer ban set to be suspended until after their appeal to the Court of Arbitration in Sport has been heard.
Elsewhere, the Portman Road gym is reportedly being kitted out as a call centre for the Liberal Democrats in time for the next General Election. Club owner and chairman Marcus Evans is a long-time supporter of the Lib Dems, while chief executive Simon Clegg is reported to have said that the club is willing to rent similar facilities to the other parties if asked.