Town boss Mick McCarthy says he has bids in for players but says he won’t have any new signings in his squad until next week at the earliest.
Questioned about progress on January signings, he said: "There’s none in the building and there won’t be anybody in for tomorrow now.
"And if they come in they can’t play on Tuesday, they need to be in the building for the first FA Cup tie, so we’ll have to wait and see next week.”
Does he feel he’s edging closer? "Not really, no. Anything that we’ve attempted to do has just been knocked back at the moment.”
He says there is nothing new on Preston striker Jordan Hugill, who Preston boss Simon Grayson confirmed yesterday had been the subject of Town interest.
"I asked Simon after we played them here about him, actually,” the Town boss continued. "There’s nothing further, no.”
Quizzed on whether he’s currently got any bids in for players, McCarthy responded: "Yes.”
Outlining the process the Blues manager, whose top target is still understood to be Rotherham frontman Danny Ward, added: "It’s a bit like bidding for a house, you ring up and some say they’ll think about it, some say he’s not for sale and some say ‘foxtrot oscar’.
"Some say we’ll discuss it with the board and come back and generally they always say no. That’s what’s happened so far.”
Is he hopeful that the latest bids might be more successful? "Yes, if I haven’t got hope I wouldn’t have anything, would I? I’ve always got to be hopeful that one of them will drop.”
McCarthy says he’s received tentative interest in some of his squad: "I think there may be [some interest].
"I’ve had no direct calls, but the usual. A lot of agents are trying to drum up business, that’s their job in the window. They only get two windows to do it now they can’t go through the season. But no firm interest, none that I would even consider anyway.”