BARNSLEY remain determined to keep hold of their star men such as Adam Phillips who has been linked with a move away this week.

Reports over the weekend claimed Championship club Preston North End were interested in Phillips. But the Chronicle understands that no contact has been made between the two clubs over a transfer for Phillips.

Phillips, 26, has netted 20 goals and added 15 assists in the league in his two seasons at Oakwell – being voted Player of the Year by fans in 2023/24. He is contracted until 2026, with the club having an option to add another year.

He returned early to pre-season training last week and has been at Oakwell all this week as the full squad came back to prepare for the coming campaign.

Earlier in the summer, sporting director Mladen Sormaz told the Chronicle it would take ‘silly money’ for Barnsley to sell a star player like Phillips, his fellow midfielder Luca Connell or Portugal under 19s striker Fabio Jalo.

It is understood that, so far this summer, the Reds have received no serious bids for any of those players.

Sormaz added: “Really really massive offers could come in, that can always happen in football, but we don’t have any plans to let them go.”

The Reds are thought to be holding out for significant multi-million bids for the likes of Phillips while Preston reportedly broke their club record signing last summer when they paid more than £2million for Montenegrin striker Milutin Osmajic.