York City have been dealt a setback in their latest transfer pursuit, following confirmation of a rejected bid and subsequent statement.
Scott Lindsey’s side are unbeaten since their return to League Two, beating Bristol Rovers on home soil before being held to a one-all draw against Rotherham United last weekend.
This results in the club finding themselves sixth in the table currently, though star forward Ollie Pearce is yet to find the back of the net since their promotion.
Pearce’s rare drought matched with Josh Stones’ injury, has left the club in likely need of another striker before next week’s deadline.
York City dealt transfer blow
With Stones out, York have been in the market to try and find an additional option, with one name being AFC Fylde’s Danny Ormerod.
The 20-year-old finished as the top scorer in the National League North last season, as well as clinching the Player of the Season award for his efforts – contributing to over 30 goals.
York have already made a £500,000 bid for the forward, but this has been rejected with confirmation that none of the offers has come close to their valuation.
AFC Fylde released a club statement on Tuesday, confirming that they had received several bids from different EFL sides – including offers around the half-a-million mark.
They also confirm that the payment structure within those offers doesn’t meet their demands and they consider Ormerod to remain as their player unless a bid closer to their valuation is made.
The club state…
‘AFC Fylde can confirm that the Club has received several formal offers for striker Danny Ormerod, including more than one offer from clubs currently competing in League One.
‘The Club has rejected all formal offers received for Danny, including those with a total value of up to £500,000. While we will not comment on the identity of any interested clubs, we can confirm that no agreement has been reached with any club for Danny’s transfer.
‘The offers received to date have been rejected because, both in terms of their overall structure and financial value, they do not reflect the Club’s valuation of a player we consider to be an important part of our team and a significant long-term prospect for AFC Fylde.’
They went on to finish by saying,
’Until an appropriate offer is received, we consider the matter closed.’
Is this a sensible decision from AFC Fylde & where does it leave York?
The ongoing saga around Boreham Wood’s Abdul Abdulmalik as well as the seven-figure exits of Laurent Mendy & Malachi Fagan-Walcott have already suggested that National League clubs are going to hold out for increased fees for their star players.
Ormerod has scored a handful of goals in the fifth tier, as well as shining in the NL North last season and is still only 20 and remains under contract.
Whilst we don’t know the official fee that Fylde are asking for, it is likely to be on or close to the seven-figure mark, considering the £500,000 offer wasn’t deemed ‘appropriate’.
Also, with the gap between the National League and League Two closing with each passing season, it isn’t likely to come as a surprise that fifth-tier sides are standing firm on player valuations instead of selling cheaper to the EFL.
For a League Two side, that price is a considerably big one for the respective level and is likely to persuade York to move on to alternate targets in a bid to fill the gap left by Stones’ injury.
