Doncaster rebuff £2m bid from Leicester for Sharp

The move signals the start of a New Year bidding war for Sharp, who will be allowed to speak to any club willing to pay £3m for his services.

Southampton, Wigan, West Bromwich and Stoke are also weighing up bids for the 25-year-old who has bagged 10 goals in 17 appearances so far this season.

Manager Dean Saunders said: “If I am honest, I don’t expect him to stay but I hope he does for obvious reasons.

“We have had a bid which has not been accepted but I think we are going to get a few bids.”

Saunders also confirmed that Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf has not yet extended his deal with the club.

The former Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers striker, who is wanted by Russian club Anzhi, missed yesterday’s 2-0 Championship victory over Barnsley with a hamstring injury.

Barnsley manager Keith Hill, meanwhile, claimed that fatigue played a part in his side’s defeat at the Keepmoat Stadium.

The Tykes came back down to earth with a bump just 48 hours after celebrating a 4-1 derby victory over Leeds United at Oakwell.

“We couldn’t make any changes and I feel as tired mentally and physically as the players do,” said Hill. “That is two games in three days and there were four significant outfield changes to Dean’s Doncaster side. I couldn’t make any changes because we are down to the bare bones.

“I don’t use tiredness as a reason. Our decision making was not as sharp as it has been, especially in front of goal and in wide areas of the pitch.

“The real disappointment is the result. But we lacked that bit of energy to contain their press.

“That’s credit to the opposition and I can understand why it happened with a little bit of fatigue in our players. Conceding the first goal left us with a mountain to climb. If we had got through that first 15-20 minutes, we wouldn’t have left ourselves as vulnerable to the counter attack.”

The Tykes had persuaded Derby County midfielder Miles Addison to extend his stay at the club for another month prior to yesterday’s game and also hope to re-sign midfielder Danny Drinkwater from Manchester United.

Gai Assulin is another possible target, from Manchester City, after a proposed loan deal for the midfielder earlier in the season was prevented by injury.