Nottingham Forest have rejected a club record bid from Brentford for winger Brennan Johnson and are adamant the in-demand winger will not leave in the transfer window.
The Bees have been long-term admirers of the Wales international who has caught the eye this season following a series of impressive performances.
And the Premier League side made another attempt to sign him this week only to be told he won't be leaving having turned down their latest offer.
John Percy of the Telegraph said on Twitter: "#nffc have rejected a club record offer from #BrentfordFC for Brennan Johnson and are adamant he will not be leaving in this window.
"Decision is understood to be unanimous from the Forest board, after multiple bids, and they now consider the matter closed."
The news represents a serious statement of intent by Forest as they push for promotion to the Premier League having moved towards the play-off positions with Tuesday night's 3-0 win over Barnsley.
That took them to eighth in the table with the Reds in superb form under head coach Steve Cooper who oversaw a stunning success over Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Speaking about Johnson after Tuesday's win over the Tykes which saw him score and register an assist, Cooper said: "We don’t want to be taking him for granted.
“He looked a threat when he got the ball.
“Even things like getting the two left-sided defenders booked early on, you’re thinking, ‘well, keep getting at them’ - I don’t want to sound too cynical.
“His assist was brilliant for Yatesy’s goal, and his goal was brilliant.
“He’s a talented boy. And we love him. We’ve just got to keep working hard with him and keep pushing him.”
