Barnsley have rejected an official bid for defender, Ethan Pinnock from Championship side, Brentford according to HITC Sport. 

The reported fee is being quoted at around the £3m mark, and Barnsley will be eager to keep hold of Pinnock who has been impressive in his second season with Barnsley.

It will come as no surprise to see Pinnock attracting interest from Brentford this month, as the Bees are in the market to find a central defender.

They recently sold Chris Mepham to AFC Bournemouth, and certainly have the funds available to them to try and prize Pinnock away from Oakwell.

The defender has been a regular in Daniel Stendel's side this season, and has played his part in their strong start to this year's league campaign.

Pinnock still has 18 months left on his contract so Barnsley won't be in a rush to cash in on the in-form defender who has been key to the success of the Tykes.

It remains to be seen as to whether Brentford will test Barnsley's will-power with another bid for Pinnock, but the Tykes will be desperate to hold onto their star man, so that he can play a starring role in their promotion push this season.

But the Championship side will have to step up their efforts swiftly as deadline day edges ever-closer, and they could be in a race against time to find Mepham's replacement.

The Verdict: 

It's good to see Barnsley knocking back this approach for Pinnock.

They have already lost a number of key players this season, and they cannot afford to lose the central defender, as they could put a serious dent in their promotion bid if they do sell him.

I don't think this latest development will put an end to Brentford's interest in Pinnock though.