No new bids for Carayol, says Bristol Rovers chairman

Bristol Rovers said they have yet to receive any further offers for Mustapha Carayol. Chairman Nick Higgs confirmed last week that Rovers had turned down a six-figure fee from an unnamed Championship club, rumoured to have been from Derby County, for the winger.

Speculation yesterday suggested Middlesbrough were the latest club to enter the race for the Gambian’s services with a formal offer over the weekend, but Higgs said: “There is nothing new to report.”

“We rejected an offer from a Championship club last week and one from another club in January. We’ve had inquiries from a lot of clubs about Mustapha, but so far I can only confirm that there have been two formal offers.”

Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray, however, is in the market for wingers and is believed to be ready to test the water with an opening bid in the region of £175,000. Rovers, meanwhile, are keen to keep Carayol and have tabled the offer of a new deal with new and improved terms in an attempt to persuade the winger to extend his stay beyond the initial two-year period agreed when he was signed by Paul Buckle last summer.

Manager Mark McGhee has already warned interested parties that Carayol would not be available on the cheap should they be forced to part company with their star playing asset before the start of the new season.

“We have to respect his career, but, as a club, we are entitled to achieve the value that we should be getting,” said McGhee, when asked about the offer that was rejected last week. “Muzzy is still a young player with a lot more to come. I’m hoping that no one will come for him, but I think that’s unrealistic.”

“We’re not going to get in the way of his career progress and I think we have to be fair to him. I hope he’s still here at the start of the season, but that remains to be seen. Nonetheless, we still hope to have a successful season with or without Muzzy.”