Dunfermline have booted out a six-figure bid for defender Josh Edwards.
The left-back was the subject of an offer from Barnsley in the final week of the transfer window.
But the Pars knocked back the approach from the English League One club.
Edwards is seen as a crucial member of the East End Park team and it is understood the board flatly turned down the bid.
The wing-back still has 18 months to go at Dunfermline after the Fifers activated the option of an extra year on his deal, which was due to expire at the end of the campaign.
The 23-year-old is currently in his fifth season at Dunfermline, having joined the club for an ‘undisclosed fee’ in 2019 from Airdrie.
AÂ former Kilmarnock trainee, Edwards has made 165 appearances for the Pars and could now attract more interest at the end of the season as he enters the final 12 months of his agreement.
Barnsley have since snapped up Josh Earl – a left-sided defender – from fellow League One side Fleetwood Town on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The decision to reject the offer for Edwards will have delighted manager James McPake given his defensive issues in recent weeks.
DAFC defensive options
Long-term injuries have hit the Fifers rearguard hard in recent times and left them without the services of skipper Kyle Benedictus, Rhys Breen and Aaron Comrie.
Sam Fisher has also spent time on the sidelines thanks to two worrying concussions.
It left McPake desperately trying to beef up his defensive options before the transfer window closed on Thursday night.
Malachi Fagan-Walcott arrived on loan from Cardiff City on January 12 and he was joined by Bluebirds team-mate Xavier Benjamin just 15 minutes before the deadline.
It is understood discussions did take place with MK Dons defender Tommy Smith, the New Zealand internationalist and former Ipswich Town centre-half, but the parties failed to reach a deal.
