Hourihane is said to be at the centre of a tug-of-war between Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa.
Barnsley have rejected a bid from local rivals Sheffield Wednesday for captain Conor Hourihane, reports the Irish Sun.
Hourihane is described by the paper as being ‘at the centre of a tug-of-war’ between the Owls and Championship rivals Aston Villa.
Barnsley’s Conor Hourihane scores from a free kick
Both clubs have reportedly lodged bids over the past week, with Wednesday’s – which is said to be worth £1.25 million – turned down, according to the Irish Sun.
Hourihane’s contract expires in the summer, at which point the Irishman will be free to move to a club of his choosing.
However, it appears that both Wednesday and Villa are keen to beat the traffic, with the former already adding Hourihane’s Barnsley teammate Sam Winnall to their ranks on Friday.
Former Tykes striker Sam Winnall makes his Sheffield Wednesday debut
Despite sitting behind 10 points behind the Hillsborough outfit at present, the Villans are reportedly prepared to offer the 25-year-old a weekly wage of £28,000 to prise him from Oakwell.
Hourihane, however, has not ruled out extending his deal with the Tykes – who are said to pay him four times less than the aforementioned figure at present.
“Those discussions are ongoing,” the midfielder said, as quoted by the Irish Sun.
“Barnsley have been good to me and I feel I have been good to them.
“It is up to the club to see how far they want to push it. I’m open-minded. It would be silly not to be.
“It will come to a conclusion when it needs to but, first and foremost, we need to keep winning games, both in the Championship and the Cup.”
Will Sheffield Wednesday/Aston Villa get their man this month?
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