The five days before the summer transfer window shuts will be 'massively important' for Barnsley's season as they attempt to keep hold of their star players while strengthening the squad with several new signings.
With no emergency loans allowed this season following a rule change, Barnsley's squad will have to stay the same after Wednesday's deadline until the January transfer window unless they sign out-of-contract free agents.
As well as dealing with the regular bids for star centre-back Alfie Mawson, Reds head coach Paul Heckingbottom is keen to add strength in depth to his squad and – while admitting he is especially light on defenders – he is looking to improve every position.
"The next few days will be massively important," said Heckingbottom.
"We have to do the best possible work we can in the next few days, whether that is keeping players or bringing players in. We are just fighting and battling to do our best for the club. "But our season is not just about which players we sign.
"Last season this team went from bottom of the league to promotion. We're happy with every single player we have but we know we're light as a squad. We need help and reinforcements to get to where we want to be which is as high as possible in this league.
"We will be looking to keep our best players and add anyone who can improve our squad, that might be only one or it might be a lot more."
Barnsley are understood to have received a six-figure sum from Everton as part of the Mason Holgate deal after the former Oakwell academy product made his Premier League debut. Everton have also paid the Reds roughly £7million for a sell-on clause in John Stones' move to Manchester City but that money is expected to go back into the club rather than be spent on new players.
Heckingbottom said: "I would love to sign a 23-year-old who is ready for the Championship but we can't afford them. We have to sign players who fit within our finances and the recruitment model we have. They also have to be the right players for us."
The Reds are understood to have had several bids rejected for Chesterfield's 21-year-old American winger Gboly Ariyibi, which Spireites boss Danny Wilson – the former Barnsley manager – described as 'derisory.' The former Southampton youngster, who played twice for Leeds before moving to the Spireites, impressed at Oakwell last season.
Heckingbottom, who worked under Wilson in his second spell at Oakwell which ended last year, said: We put a bid in, it was knocked back and that's as far as it goes. They obviously value him a lot higher than the bid we made. We would like to go back in for him but we'll have to wait and see. It's not that we're light on the wings, we just want good players who can add something to our squad."
Barnsley have also been linked with central midfielder Sam Morsy, 24, who is currently at fellow promoted side Wigan Athletic but is yet to play this season. Morsy scored against the Reds for Chesterfield on the opening day of last season before moving to Wigan in January.
Heckingbottom said: "We have known about Sam for a long time. We were watching him when we was at Chesterfield. He is not featuring for Wigan. It's just a case of knowing what a player's situation is and getting all the information so that, if something can happen, you are in a position to say whether you want him or not."
With no emergency loans for the first time, Heckingbottom is expecting a chaotic end to the transfer window for all clubs. He said: "It is unknown territory for everyone because there are no emergency loans. That's why I think these next few days will be crazy and different to seasons in the past. You have got the Premier League clubs waiting to see who they get in before they let anyone go. We're asking those clubs for players and waiting on them. "Clubs below us are asking for our players and it spirals all the way down."
