Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom says that he feels more clubs than just Sheffield Wednesday are chasing Conor Hourihane, with "lots of enquiries" having been made.

The Owls are reported to have lodged a bid for the midfielder, who is out of contract in the summer, but Aston Villa, Celtic and Rangers have also been heavily linked with Hourihane and could rival Wednesday for his signature this month.




And Heckingbottom has confirmed that more clubs than just Wednesday are keen on the Barnsley schemer, with lots of enquiries about what the future holds for Hourihane.

Heckingbottom also anticipates no speedy conclusion to Hourihane's future and the chase for his signature.
 


"They’d be one of dozens of teams interested in him, I would’ve thought, because he’s playing so well", Heckingbottom was quoted as saying by the Sheffield Star when asked about Wednesday's interest in Hourihane.

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"Conor’s in a position where there’s lots of inquiries about him, through different sources and you could go on forever talking about it.

"I would have thought the talking will continue for a long time", he added.

Hourihane has been a key man for Barnsley this season, turning out in 25 games across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing his team-mates with 12 assists.

Barnsley have just lost striker Sam Winnall to Sheffield Wednesday and are looking at a tough transfer window.

They are also fielding interest in full-back James Bree.