BARNSLEY are yet to receive any ‘serious’ bids for their players in the summer transfer window, the Chronicle understands.
The Reds are expected to sell several players this summer as they look to offset a £7-8million loss due to their relegation from the Championship.
But, while some approaches are understood to have been rejected, they are thought to have been well below the club’s valuation and more a ‘sounding out’ tactic from the other clubs.
The transfer window does not officially open until June 10 but deals across the EFL are already being announced in advance.
Barnsley are keen for their valuations to be met but may come under pressure as the summer goes on since the market is unlikely to return to pre-Covid levels of spending while they are, in general, thought to have to move players out before they can bring in others.
A move for Reds captain Cauley Woodrow is being considered by Barnsley’s fellow League One club Ipswich Town, according to reports in Suffolk. The striker has more goals than any Barnsley player in the 21st century but, at 27, has one year remaining on his contract and is thought to be one of the biggest earners at the club. He has also been linked to Championship clubs.
Like Woodrow, Poland centre-back Michal Helik, 26, has one year remaining on his current deal.
He is likely to be sold this summer having previously been a target for overseas clubs while he is targeting a place at November’s World Cup.
Callum Brittain has again been linked with a move to Championship side Blackburn Rovers this week.
The 24-year-old right wing-back has been the subject of interest for several second tier clubs in the last year, despite a difficult second season at Oakwell after initially excelling following a 2020 move from MK Dons.
Callum Styles – for whom the Reds rejected a £1.5million bid in January – is another who may be sold this window.
The 22-year-old will be in the shop window next month as he is with the Hungary squad for their Nations League games against England, twice, Germany and Italy.
Striker Carlton Morris, who finished as top-scorer for the last-placed Reds despite missing three months due to injury, goalkeeper Brad Collins, who was voted by fans as Player of the Year, and Danish defender Mads Andersen are others who are understood to be on the radar of other clubs.
Morris, Collins, Andersen, Brittain and Styles are all contracted for another year but the Reds announced when they signed all five that they have an option to extend the deals by a further season until 2024.
The futures of the likes of Aaron Leya Iseka, Devante Cole and Clarke Oduor are unclear after they all struggled for gametime in the second half of the season, with the club keen to trim the wagebill. Those players are currently due back for pre-season in June – as are players who were loaned out last season such as Luke Thomas and Jack Aitchison – to be assessed by a new coach whose appointment is expected in the coming weeks.
Barnsley have been linked this summer with various players including Accrington Stanley defender Ross Sykes, Plymouth Argyle midfielder Panutche Camara, Notts County striker Kyle Wootton, Hartlepool winger Luke Molyneux and Leicester City striker Jack Butterfill.
The Chronicle understands that, while some of them may be on recruitment lists, deals are not currently close for any of them.
Butterfill played a trial game for the Reds under 23s earlier this month while Camara spent a year with the Oakwell development team in 2016/17.
The Reds’ squad is due to return to pre-season training in three waves from June 6 to 20, with the first friendly due to be at non-league Worksop Town on the 25th. They are then due to host League Two Crewe Alexandra on July 9.
The Reds are expected to announce the full schedule of pre-season friendlies in the coming days.
