Flitcroft laughing at us....
BURY have rejected what manager David Flitcroft described as a "comical" bid from Sheffield United for star striker Leon Clarke, but are inviting offers for fellow front man Tom Pope.
It is understood the Blades' attempted to prize away Clarke on the cheap, offering a low five-figure sum, an amount that left the Bury boss fuming.
But despite interest in the striker from one of the League One's biggest spenders, Flitcroft is still eager to let Pope go, confirming the former Port Vale forward has been placed in the transfer list.
“It has been an interesting week,” he said. “We have had no bids for any players except from Sheffield United for Leon.
“The bid was comical, in fact, it was embarrassing. When the bid came in I pulled Leon to the side to tell him, like I always do with any player when a bid comes in for them, to let him know.
“I told Leon the amount and he absolutely laughed it down. It was such a derogative offer.”
After signing on a free transfer from Wolves last season, the 31-year-old scored 18 goals for the Shakers despite missing spells of the season due to personal issues.
As Bury look to build on last season's success, Flitcroft has outlined his desire to keep Clarke at Gigg Lane and laughed off the sheer audacity of the bid from the Blades, especially given the current price tag for fellow League One strikers.
“I don't want to sell Leon, he is the best striker in League One,” Flitcroft said.
“Millwall want £2million for Lee Gregory and Nicky Ajose went to Charlton for nearly £1million with add ons, and Sheffield United put a bid in as low as they did.
“Leon doesn't have a price tag, but if we were to sell it would have to be for a lot higher than the current offer. You just don't replace Leon Clarke, he's just too good.
“We brought him in on a free transfer and even with all the personal things that have gone on off the pitch he still managed to score nearly 20 goals last season while missing a lot of games.
“I do not want to lose a player of Leon's quality. We have invested so much time and effort into him and built a fantastic relationship.”
The decision to put Pope on the transfer list could be a sign as to how determined Bury are to keep hold of Clarke.
Following the summer departures of strikers Danny Nardiello, Ryan Lowe and Danny Rose, Pope, Clarke and new signing Nicky Clark are the only senior strikers currently on the Bury books.
But Flitcroft revealed that. as part of his rebalancing process, Pope has become surplus to requirements.
He said: “We have placed Tom on the transfer list and the loan list.
“Pope is another one of our high-end earners and if we offload him then it gives us the chance to reassess and rebalance the squad.
“Tom didn't get much game time last season and it gives him the chance to go out and play some games.
“It has been a big summer. We have got rid of 12 players and Pope could be the 13th.”
http://www.burytimes.co.uk/sport/fo...omical__39__bid_for_Bury_striker_Leon_Clarke/
