WANDERERS insist there has been no firm offer for Matt Mills from Leeds United, despite mounting speculation that he is heading out of the club.

Heavy rumours linking the Elland Road club with a move for the defender have rumbled on all summer but reports yesterday suggested Leeds boss Brian McDermott had switched tack and asked to take his former Reading charge on a season-long loan.

There are doubts as to whether the Yorkshire club could match Wanderers’ valuation of the centre-back, who joined only last summer from Leicester City for around £2million.

But while taking Mills’ salary off the books would appear a compromise, providing Dougie Freedman with some funds to reinvest, sources high up at the Reebok say they are still waiting for a hard bid to materialise.

There has also been a suggestion that Nottingham Forest have also enquired about a loan, although they too have failed to step forward.

Mills is down the pecking order, with Zat Knight and David Wheater looking likely to be the first-choice defensive partnership on the opening day of the season at Burnley.

Tim Ream also wants to push his claim but the indications are that Freedman may look to recruit another centre-half before the close of the transfer window.

Whether Wanderers get a chance to bring Craig Dawson back to the Reebok will most likely hinge on whether he is given any guarantee of first-team football at the Hawthorns next season.