KYLE Lafferty’s proposed move to Leeds United is in doubt over the terms of the transfer amid speculation that Sam Byram could be heading in the opposite direction.

The Whites’ bid to sign Northern Ireland striker Lafferty is “proving very difficult”, according to boss Steve Evans, who had been hopeful that a deal to loan him would be reached early this month.

Lafferty has barely featured at Carrow Road this season but the 28-year-old has attracted interested from other clubs, including Palermo - who he spent a year with between 2013 and 2014 - and Red Star Belgrade.

Evans wants to add at least one new striker to his squad before the end of the month but he admitted that Leeds would be forced to move on if Norwich refused to consider a temporary deal.

Evans, whose side host his former club Rotherham in the FA Cup third round tomorrow, said: “We want it to be a loan deal with the option of a permanent.

“Norwich City have respectfully said that they want it to be on a permanent. We’re not going to be doing it on a permanent initially.

“We want to be able, if it’s possible, to bring the player here but that’s proving very difficult.

“If it proves not to be the case then we’re not only thinking of Kyle Lafferty, there are other players we’re looking at. It’s not Kyle Lafferty or nobody. There are other options.

“If we take another option then the Kyle Lafferty interest will suddenly drop off.”

Homegrown star Byram is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with moves to Norwich and West Ham in January.

Leeds midfielder Lewis Cook, meanwhile, has been linked with a big-money move to Bournemouth but Evans insisted: "There's no doubt that there's very solid interest in him but I had a strategy meeting with the president yesterday and Lewis Cook is simply not going anywhere.

“There are no more conversations to have about Lewis Cook.

“The president's in receipt of some offers and he's said to me that we only get into real discussion if he's maybe of thinking of accepting it. It was very clear that he had no interest in accepting either of them.

"I think every player in the world's for sale but this isn't about putting up any player as an option. He's not going to be sold in this window."

Leeds have turned down two overseas bids for centre-back Giuseppe Bellusci within the first week of the January transfer window, while striker Chris Wood is set to remain absent through injury for tomorrow’s game.