DERBY County look to be edging closer to landing George Thorne following West Bromwich Albion's public stance yesterday.
Albion revealed that the midfielder had not travelled with the squad to a pre-season training camp in the United States.
The Premier League club also confirmed it was in talks with Derby over Thorne, who impressed during a loan spell with the Rams last season.
"While those negotiations continue it makes sense for him (Thorne) to remain at home," said Albion manager Alan Irvine.
"However, if no agreement is reached, George will be flown out to join the rest of the group in the US."
The messages coming from the Hawthorns have changed since last month when Albion rejected two bids for the player from Derby and turned down two transfer requests from Thorne.
Albion were adamant Thorne was not for sale.
Now it appears that talks are to start again.
Thorne caught the eye in his dozen appearances for Derby last season and he has made it clear he sees his future away from West Brom.
Derby's second bid was believed to be £1.5m rising to £2m with add-ons.
It remains unclear how much Albion want for Thorne, who is 21 and has made only 42 league starts in his career.
The Rams have and will continue to support and meet Financial Fair Play guidelines meaning they will identify targets in a sensible fashion and not be reckless in the chase for targets.
Derby's club record fee paid for a player is £3.5m – Robert Earnshaw from Norwich City in 2007.
They have spent £3m on a player on only four other occasions in their history – Claude Davis (July 2007), Giorgi Kinkladze (April 2000), Branko Strupar (December 1999) and Craig Burley (December 1999).
Derby are close to signing Spanish youth international Ivan Calero.
The 19-year-old attacking midfielder has been on trial with the Rams and played in last week's friendly against Mickleover Sports.
He is a product of Atletico Madrid's Academy and has featured for Atletico's B team.
Derby head coach Steve McClaren is bolstering the club's under-21 development squad in a bid to strengthen it as a breeding ground for players to step into the first team.
