Mick McCarthy has confirmed Middlesbrough have lodged a bid for Ciaron Brown but insisted the opening offer was "nowhere near enough".
Neil Warnock is looking to bolster his defence this summer and Brown is someone he knows well, having brought him in from Wealdstone back in January 2018.
Brown has been loaned to Livingston three times, but has also earned senior Northern Ireland caps in that time.
McCarthy is clearly an admirer of him, too, and has made him an important part of this Bluebirds team since he joined back in January, but the 23-year-old's future remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Reports in the last week suggested that Boro had lodged a bid for Brown, while Neil Warnock himself confirmed he was a player they were looking at.
READ MORE: Neil Warnock reveals Ciaron Brown interest
And McCarthy confirmed the player was the subject of a bid this week, but was adamant that Boro would have to seriously up their offer if they were to prise the defender away from the Welsh capital in this window.
"There's three things that can happen there, I guess," McCarthy said after the 4-0 defeat by Southampton.
"I don't want to sell Browny, I've offered him a new contract and I'd like him to stay.
"Neil, yes, I've spoken to Neil, he's made an offer. Nowhere near enough.
"Browny is in his last year [of his contract]. So if Neil Wants to offer something that's anywhere near our valuation, even though the player has only got 12 months to run, then we may have to sell him. We don't want him to go on a free transfer.
"If not, he'll stay here on the contract he's on until the end of the season.
"I expect he will play and continue to play and compete just like he always would."
