Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has revealed that the Blades have made a new bid for Blues striker Martyn Waghorn.
"We’ve got some targets, we’ve got that bid in for Martyn Waghorn," Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield following his side’s friendly at Mansfield.
"It’s out there now, it’s not worth not talking about and we’re looking to bring another two or three players in."
Has he had any indication of Town’s response? "No, it’s there, we haven’t had anything back off Ipswich, if it’s been accepted or declined. It’s there and we’ll leave it there and we’ll still obviously look to bring other players in.”
As TWTD revealed yesterday, the Blues rebuffed a bid from the South Yorkshiremen earlier in the summer, an offer understood to be below the £5 million cited on Thursday. The current bid appears to be at the £5 million mark in those reports.
On Thursday evening Wilder said the Blues had valued Waghorn at £8-£10 million, while it was later reported that the Blades had initially been told - presumably at the time of the earlier offer - that Town wanted £7.5 million for last season’s 16-goal top scorer, who they signed for £200,000 from Rangers a year ago.
Blues boss Paul Hurst made no reference to a new bid when quizzed on Waghorn’s situation after Town’s 1-0 victory over Barnet.
"There’s interest, I was never going to try and deny that, but the situation is as it is,” he said.
"He’s our player, he’s played 90 minutes today where sometimes in these situations we see managers or clubs pulling the player out of the game. If he had been ill today or had a little bit of an injury, not in the squad, that would have just fuelled everything.
"He’s here, he’s played and he’s very much our player until anything changes. At the minute I’m working under the understanding that he’s our player.
"We want him to start hitting the back of the net as he has been doing in training. He’s a great lad, you can’t get away from that and he has a smile on his face.
"But he has an edge and he wants to win. There were a couple of challenges [at Barnet] which were mainly frustration coming out but I’m not going to knock that too much as long as it doesn’t go too far.
"He wants to win. I’m sure they all want to win in the dressing room, but there’s one or two where that all stands out a little more.
"We’re trying to get to the young players and understand that when they get out onto the pitch they are equals and have to step up.
"They need that hunger and drive and to not be fearful. Wags is a very good pro and an example for the younger lads.”
"In fairness to him, I’ve seen players try that when it’s blatantly not on. It’s like, ‘What are you doing?’, but when he’s trying it, it’s on.
"That one today I thought was going in because he’s got that vision, he sees it and that shows an intelligent player.”
In addition to Sheffield United, Derby County, Middlesbrough and Birmingham have also been eyeing the 28-year-old, while Nottingham Forest have been linked.
Waghorn is effectively contracted to the Blues for two more seasons, his current deal running to next summer with the club having an option to keep him for a further year.