Sheffield Wednesday have rejected a bid from Championship rivals Barnsley for striker Chris O'Grady.
The 27-year-old finished the season on loan at Barnsley, helping the club survive relegation by just a point.
Tykes boss David Flitcroft admitted that a deal for O'Grady is now unlikely to be made.
"We put in a bid for Chris with Sheffield Wednesday but they turned us down," Flitcroft told The Star.
"I don't think a deal will be done now. We've tried our best to get him, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. They know we want him and we felt we made a good offer, but they told us they don't want to sell him.
"At the end of the day Chris has always been our number one target, but we can't wait around forever. He's a Sheffield Wednesday player so I've got to be careful what I say."
O'Grady scored six goals in 16 games during his spell at Barnsley.