Irvine rules out Parkin bid

Parkin: Not an option for Owls

Alan Irvine has ruled out a bid for Preston North End striker Jon Parkin and will not be looking to bring Luke Varney back to Sheffield Wednesday.

Owls boss Irvine is looking to improve his squad following relegation to League One and has been linked with Parkin, who he managed at Preston, and Varney, who has had several loan spells at Hillsborough.

However, Irvine doubts his former club will want to sell Parkin and admits Varney's wages put the Derby County forward beyond his reach.

"I've never thought Luke Varney was an option, not with the wages he's on," Irvine told the Sheffield Star.

"And Jon Parkin, for certain, would not be an option. Preston are happy with him and want to keep him, so anyone who wants him will have to pay a transfer fee."

Irvine revealed he has encountered setbacks in his quest to bring in fresh faces over the past week, with players reluctant to drop down to League One.

He added: "If you'd asked me how I was feeling (about transfers) a week ago, I'd have told you I was very happy. But it's been a frustrating week.

"It's down to a combination of factors - some players chose to go elsewhere, some were demanding too high wages and we couldn't match their demands, and some have asked for some more time.

"Some just decided that they didn't want to play League One football."