Assistant manager Stuart Taylor is unaware of any further interest from Crystal Palace in midfielder Flynn Downes, but says that could just be part of the negotiation process.
Downes was the subject of £1.2 million and £1.6 million rising to £2.5 million offers from the Eagles which the Blues rebuffed as they were well short of their valuation.
The academy product subsequently handed in a transfer request and after a conversation with manager Paul Lambert was given a few days off to clear his head.
Asked whether the 21-year-old, who is yet to appear in a match day 18 this season but has been training and was involved in the warm-down on the pitch after Saturday’s game, was ready to play if selected for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Fulham, assistant manager Stuart Taylor said: "As I said to you, I said in the press conference after Tuesday night, that's an answer for Flynn to give.
"He'll be back in training with the lads again today, and I'm quite sure there will be a conversation with him to see how he is."
Is Downes likely to be involved before the transfer window shuts on October 16th or will he be kept in the shadows until then? "We won’t keep anybody in the shadows. He’s a professional and I’m sure he’ll deal with it in a professional way.
"I think there was a lot going on his head. I think there might have been pressure from different avenues, not from us, but I’m quite sure Flynn at some point will inform everybody of what’s going on.
"Listen, it was good to see him back in and training again with a lot fresher mindset and that comes off the back having that experience to give him three days off. We’ll just see what today brings when he comes in.”
Ultimately, it's the management’s decision whether a player is involved or otherwise. That being the case, couldn’t boss Paul Lambert just say ‘Suck it up and get on with it’?
"Would you get the best out of someone if you said ’Suck it up and get on with it’?,” Taylor responded.
Does the assistant boss believe a point can be reached where Downes’s head is in the right place and he can be reintegrated? "That’s what we are trying to do. That’s what we’re really trying to do.
"We’ve got the best interest of the football club, which we have to take care of, and we’ve got the best interest of the player, that we have to take care of, and it’s marrying both together.
"It’s something that we’ve always done since we’ve been here, do what’s right for the football club and do what’s right for the players, and this situation with Flynn is no different.”
"I think it’s something we need to be very, very careful with and we have to make sure we’re doing things right on that side. Again, as a management team we need to know where we are with it."
Asked whether Downes has refused to play, Taylor said: "I think there’s a discussion there between the manager and Flynn, which I don’t think I should be saying anything at this moment in time about. I think that’s something for Flynn and the manager and the club to speak about.”
Regarding further interest from Palace since the offers in late August, Taylor says there hasn’t been any that he knows of: "I’m not aware of anything.”
Given the time that’s elapsed since the bids, might that signal that the interest has waned? "That’s a negotiations thing. You know yourself, if you’re buying a car, you don’t act interested in it, you put in a low offer, you kind of kid on, ‘Just keep the car, we’re not interested in it’, then above the water you’re all calm but down below you’re paddling like anything.
"It’s that negotiations thing. They might come back in and triple or quadruple their money, whatever it is, I don’t know, or they might not.
"Nobody knows, that’s football and it’s negotiations and that’s why we can’t get involved in anything because it just becomes talk. And there’s no point in getting involved, you may as well just deal with facts.
"We’re just dealing with facts at this moment in time and trying to deal with this situation as best as possible.”