Gillingham boss Steve Evans has revealed the club did have offers for midfielder Kyle Dempsey amid rumours that Nottingham Forest were chasing his signature.
The Reds were one of several Championship clubs said to be interested in the talented Gills ace who has won acclaim for a series of impressive performances in League One.
But no deal materialised as the Gills fought hard to keep hold of one of their prized assets.
Evans said: “The most concrete interest from the Championship was for Kyle Dempsey.
“We had three of four Championship clubs who were keen to talk to the chairman but he stuck to his word that we will keep everyone we possibly can and see what the summer brings.”
Dempsey had only made the move to Priestfield last summer after being released by Fleetwood Town but quickly made an impact at Priestfield.
Football Insider reported he had a host of clubs chasing his signature with the Reds “interested in signing” Dempsey, along with Preston North End, Barnsley and Luton Town.
In the end, Forest did sign a midfielder when they landed James Garner on loan from Manchester United and he has made a huge impact at the City Ground since his arrival.
He made his debut against Coventry as the Reds won 2-1 and then followed that up with another impressive performance in the 3-0 win at Wycombe.
But he will face his toughest test so far this weekend when Forest welcome Bournemouth to the City Ground for the lunchtime kick-off as the Reds seek a third successive victory.
