Hartlepool United boss Keith Curle has spoken to the media and offered an update on his club's bid to sign Mansfield Town's former Walsall loanee, Danny Johnson.
Johnson, who netted an impressive fifteen goals across thirty first-team appearances for the Saddlers, has been the subject of intense interest all season with the likes of Hartlepool and Colchester United joining Walsall in the race for his signature.
However, despite his club continuing to monitor the situation, Curle admits Johnson is unlikely to arrive at the Suit Direct Stadium anytime soon as the striker has made it clear he isn't looking to move to the Pools.
Speaking via the Hartlepool Mail, Curle said: "I spoke to Nigel five weeks ago about Danny and spoke to his agent, but the clear and concise message was that, if he didn’t go back to Walsall, he was going to stay where he was.
"He’s had a couple of offers to go down south but doesn’t want to go down south. We’ve asked the question: would we be considered?
"The answer back was ‘not at this particular time.' But things can change later on in the window. But it shows again we’re asking the right questions about the right people."
This comes after the recent news that Colchester had seen a bid accepted only for Danny to reject the notion of moving to the club, with the striker seemingly determined to return to Walsall, either during the ongoing January Transfer Window or after his deal with Mansfield finishes at the end of the season.
The one hope that Curle appears to be keen to hold on to is the fact the Middlesbrough-born Johnson has family in the North and could be tempted with a move back to the area to be closer to them.
Curle continued: "If he wants to come back home and see his family and relocate to an area he’s familiar with. But we’re very respectful with the lines of dialogue we've had.
"We’ve spoken to the agent, we’ve spoken to the player, and the message was ‘not at the minute’ and we’re respectful of that. We don’t badger players or force players.
"We don’t put pressure on players if it’s not for them at this particular time. We’ve identified a player who we think can help us but if it’s not right, it's not right. We move on."