Carlisle have turned down Town’s loan bid for left-back Ian Harte, according to a report in Cumbria. The Blues are said to have made their offer last week with a Town youngster moving in the opposite direction as part of the proposed deal.
Town wanted to sign Harte initially on loan with a view to making the move permanent in January. An unnamed member of the Town squad is reported to have been offered to the Cumbrians as part of the deal, although whether this was seen as a temporary or a permanent move is unclear. That player may have been Pim Balkestein, who subsequently joined Brentford on loan and who said over the weekend that he had other options.
Harte, who agreed a two-year deal at Brunton Park in the summer, has played most of his career at left-back but lately has been employed at centre-half. He is Carlisle’s top scorer this season with seven goals.
Town boss Roy Keane is looking to sign two loan players before Thursday’s deadline, one a striker from a club outside of the Premier League.