Sheffield Wednesday: Carlos Carvalhal welcomes teams' interest in Fernando Forestieri and the rest of his Owls stars

Owls head coach Carlos Carvalhal has stressed he is happy to have teams interested in his players.
Fernando ForestieriFernando Forestieri
Fernando Forestieri

But the Portuguese chief insists none of his Wednesday stars, including influential striker Fernando Forestieri, will be sold this month.

Forestieri, the Owls’ matchwinner against Aston Villa last weekend, has been the subject of a £7m bid from Derby County earlier this week. The Star understands that offer was flatly rejected.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Norwich City, Carvalhal said Wednesday’s top priority is to bring in more reinforcements on a full-time or temporary basis before the August 31 transfer deadline.

It is believed the Owls tabled sizeable bids for Rams pair Jeff Hendrick and Tom Ince yesterday.

Carvalhal said: “I am happy when the players improve, get a new contract, or if in the future the players move to big clubs. That’s part of my work, to improve the players. If my players are playing well, and big clubs are interested in my players, or buy them in the future, to me that’s like a trophy. I am very happy. All the players are improving, Fernando is one of them, he has a very good status in the club. We like him a lot, his colleagues like him, the fans love him.”

Carvalhal feels he has a “good relationship” with all members of his squad, saying: “I like them like my kids. Everyone is working hard.”

Meanwhile, Joe Bennett’s proposed move to Hillsborough has collapsed after Villa’s new owner Tony Xia blocked the transfer at the 11th hour. Both clubs had agreed a deal and the left-back had passed a medical but reports in the Midlands suggest Xia was concerned about losing a player to a potential promotion rival.

Bennett tweeted: “Been a hectic few days. Won’t be moving though.”