Ross County are bracing themselves for a fresh bid from Burton Albion for attacker Liam Boyce after turning down the English Championship side’s initial offer.
Burton’s bid for the Northern Ireland international fell short of the £500,000 release clause in his contract but the Brewers remain keen on taking Boyce to Pirelli Stadium.
The Staggies are desperate to keep Boyce, who has a year left on his contract at Victoria Park, but County manager Jim McIntyre confirmed his prize asset is in demand.
McIntyre said: “We’ve had a bid for Liam and we’ve said no to it. That’s where it stands.
“I’m not going to talk about what we’ve got in any player’s contract.
“All I’ll say is Burton want Liam. There’s been a bid placed and a bid rejected.”
Boyce enjoyed an excellent campaign with the Staggies last year, netting 24 goals in all competitions and ending the season as the Premiership’s leading scorer.
The attacker netted his first goal for Northern Ireland this month in a 1-0 friendly win against New Zealand and played once again in his side’s World Cup qualifying victory against Azerbaijan on Saturday.
Burton manager Nigel Clough, who broke his club’s record transfer fee to sign Australian midfielder Jackson Irvine from the Staggies in a £300,000 deal last summer, confirmed his pursuit of Boyce.
Clough said: “He’s a player we are interested in but that’s as far as it has gone. The report of us triggering a clause is not true.”
