Town have had a £1 million bid for central defender Gareth McAuley turned down by Leicester City, according to one of Sunday's tabloids. Boss Jim Magilton has been chasing the Northern Ireland international since January when he previously had three offers rebuffed by the Foxes.

McAuley is widely tipped to leave the Walkers Stadium this summer after Leicester's relegation to League One with Magilton viewing the 28-year-old as a replacement for the retiring Jason De Vos. QPR, managed by Magilton's best friend Iain Dowie, are also understood to be after the Larne-born defender.

Town's interest in McAuley, who scored two goals in the Foxes' 2-0 win at Portman Road in February 2007, first surfaced in early January with the Blues continuing to pursue the former Linfield, Crusaders, Coleraine and Lincoln man throughout the transfer window.

McAuley, 6ft 3in tall, joined Leicester on a free transfer from Lincoln in the summer of 2006 after his contract at Sincil Bank came to an end.

Capped 10 times by Northern Ireland, McAuley signed a new contract at Leicester in February aimed at keeping him at the Walkers Stadium until 2011, however, it is rumoured that a clause in that deal will allow him to leave for a fee at a pre-agreed level now that Leicester have been relegated.

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