Gillingham caretaker boss Steve Lovell wants Kyle Dempsey to remain at the club amid the prospect of a transfer to Bolton Wanderers but admits the situation could change before the end of the January window.
Wanderers are seeking to add the 26-year-old to their ranks and have tabled a second bid for the midfielder.
Dempsey is out of contract in the summer and, should he not be sold this January, could leave Priestfield for nothing in a few months time if he does not put pen to paper on fresh terms.
READ MORE: Bolton transfer update on Kyle Dempsey and window state of play as Wanderers declare intention
Wanderers want to add Dempsey as their final January transfer window acquisition and add to their central midfield department, viewing him as a replacement for former Bolton captain Antoni Sarcevic who departed the club in October for Stockport County.
Gillingham captain Dempsey played for the Kent club in last night's goalless draw in League One against Shrewsbury Town and Lovell was asked about his skipper after the encounter.
Lovell wants Dempsey to remain at Priestfield but admits that decision is out of his hands and that things could change before the end of the January transfer window next Monday at 11pm.
Speaking after last night's goalless draw, Lovell said: “There has been talk for a long time about clubs being linked with our players but I don’t know anything about that.
"The way that Kyle played tonight, you wouldn’t think he was going anywhere, because I thought he gave everything and he gave a captain's performance and I thought he worked very, very hard for the team.
"He always has done, since I've been here, he's been a credit.
"I don’t want to lose any players. I want to keep all of them so I can work with them but it’s out of my hands. I can only work with what I've got and what I'll have and whatever I've got and have, I will work with.
"We would like to add to it and I think we need to the squad. In the next two or three days it will become more of an issue I think when players become available and we've only got four or five days to go so it is an important time to get what we want in to give us a really good shout to of getting us out of this mess that we're in.
"I don't want to lose anybody but that's not my decision. It's a decision that's got to be made by the club and for the right reasons and for the sake of the football club.
"All I can say as a manager is I don't want to lose any good players and Kyle Dempsey's a good player. I don't want to lose anybody from the squad.
"I'm not in a position to lose anybody. We're not great on numbers as it is with a few injuries that have been picked up so I wish the window was over and I've got 22 players where I know I'm going to work with and that will do me.
"But it's not like that so things could change between now and next Monday and most probably will and whatever they change to, I'll have to adapt to that and work with it."
