Town manager George Burley has revealed that Town have turned down a bid from Leicester for James Scowcroft. David Sheepshanks said that Leicester had been thwarted in an attempt to buy Scowcroft last week, so this is presumably a second offer.
Burley said: "Leicester have made an offer but it has been rejected initially. We don’t really want to let James go anywhere and would certainly not consider any bid until we have found a suitable replacement. James obviously knows what is going on. He has been to see me and I have put him in the picture. At the moment he is a bit unsettled, but I have explained the situation to him. Whether Leicester come back again remains to be seen but we are not looking to sell him and would certainly not want to lose him unless the right replacement was available. We are looking to strengthen our squad, not weaken it. James is on a long contract here with us. We see him as being part of the future of the club. Bids come in for players from time to time and Leicester have followed up an initial enquiry with a firm offer."
Although nothing appears to be happening yet a change is not ruled out by the manager: "The situation may change as time goes on, possibly, but this is how it stands at the moment and James, despite the situation, will work as hard as ever I am sure."
Scowcroft himself says of the offer: "The manager wanted to put me in the picture and he has done so. He said he didn’t want me to go. If the manager had wanted me to go and talk to Leicester then I would have done so, but he didn’t. I want to stay and will continue to do my best for the club."
One factor which may come into play in any possible Scowcroft to Leicester deal is Town interest in Darren Eadie. The Blues were keen on Eadie earlier in the summer, but a knee operation cooled their interest. Burley subsequently said was interested in a player who he wanted to see in pre-season before making a bid.