Barnsley manager Paul Heckingbottom has revealed that the club are not in a position to offer Matty James an extended stay at Oakwell because of financial constraints, according to The Sheffield Star.

Heckingbottom claims that Barnsley simply cannot afford Matty James, who joined the Championship side on loan from Premier League champions Leicester City in January.

His performances for the Tykes have certainly caught the eye and impressed the Barnsley faithful but wages are a stumbling block in any potential permanent move.

Central midfielder James arrived as a Conor Hourihane replacement after the former skipper left to join Aston Villa.

Talking about the future of Matty James, Heckingbottom conceded:

“I don’t think we’d be able to keep him beyond the end of the season.

“The gulf in money is that big that it won’t be possible.

“I’d like to think by the end of the season, if money wasn’t an issue, that Matty would think ‘yeah, I’d love to stay at Barnsley’.

“But unfortunately it just isn’t going to happen.

“We’re thankful to Leicester for their help in terms of wages and that comes from the plan we had for him as a player.

“For us to afford him they had to subsidise those wages.”

Barnsley fans - what do you make of this? Is this disappointing news? Let us know in the comments below...