Rotherham rebuff Wednesday’s renewed attempt to land Le Fondre

Wednesday’s manager Gary Megson is desperate to pep up his strikeforce ahead of the transfer window closing next week and he confirmed yesterday that two bids are on the table for unnamed forwards.

One of these is Le Fondre, as Millers chief operating officer Paul Douglas confirmed last night. He said: “We have had a bid (from Wednesday) and we have rejected that bid for not meeting our valuation.”

Rotherham chairman Tony Stewart is adamant the club want to hold on to their star striker. He added: “Coventry came in with a joke bid a fortnight or so ago but I am sure they weren’t serious.

“I got the impression it was more a case of them wanting to show their supporters that they were trying to do something.

“Our view is that if Alf stays, we have a good chance of winning promotion. So we want him to stay.”

Other strikers to have been linked with the Owls this summer include Preston North End’s Neil Mellor and Cody McDonald of Norwich City.

Wednesday travel to Blackburn Rovers tonight for a Carling Cup second-round tie but it is the search for a reliable striker that is focusing minds at Hillsborough with the closing of the transfer window fast approaching.

Megson said: “It would be wrong to say who we have bid for but we did make two bids on Monday.

“We won’t be signing both of them, just one. Milan (Mandaric, owner) and Paul (Aldridge, chief executive) are pushing things as much as they can to try and get the player in at the right price.

“We have bid for two but I would feel uncomfortable saying who the players are.

“But I consider them to be two really good offers. Both are in the final year of their contracts and if the clubs turn the bids down then they won’t have the players there for the full season.

“That is because come February 1 they will be worth nothing. We all have decisions to make when buying and selling players.

“They are both strikers. I would expect to hear one way or the other very soon. They are very strong offers for players that I don’t think the clubs will get again.”

Asked if he could put a timescale on when Wednesday hoped to be able to announce the capture of either target, Megson replied: “I honestly don’t know. It is like a game of tennis where we serve it and wait for the return.”

Carling Cup reports and previews: Page 24.