City turned down an offer from Derby for Jermaine Johnson, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal.

The high-flying Rams were the Championship side who tabled a bid, thought to be £250,000, for the Jamaican winger.

But Derby were forced to switch targets after being rejected and instead snapped up Scottish international Gary Teale from Wigan.

City chairman Julian Rhodes confirmed he had dismissed the bid - and rubbished national reports that Hull and Ipswich were now chasing their star asset.

Rhodes said: "There has been a number of scouts watching Jermaine from the Championship, with the only official contact we've had so far coming from Derby, but they didn't meet the valuation we had of him.

"Hull and Ipswich weren't two of the clubs we were led to believe were interested."

City also laughed off a claim that they had agreed a deal with Sheffield United defender Chris Lucketti.

Colin Todd said: "I've no idea where that story came from. I spoke to Sheffield United about Kevan Hurst but nobody else.

"It's just another case of people putting what they want in papers. There is absolutely nothing in it at all."

Hull are the front-runners to snap up the 35-year-old Lucketti and Tigers boss Phil Brown has opened talks with his agent.

City are well stocked for centre halves, with regular duo David Wetherall and Mark Bower backed up by Matt Clarke and youngster Simon Ainge.

Todd was full of praise for Wetherall's performance at Port Vale last week as the skipper bounced back from the shock of his red card against Cheltenham.

Todd added: "I was thinking of giving him a breather over the Christmas period because the games were coming thick and fast and then he got sent off for the first time in his career. But the response David showed at Port Vale was magnificent."