An unnamed Championship club have seen a bid to sign centre back Aaron Long from New York Red Bulls rejected, a report from ESPN has claimed.

Long been the subject of much speculation recently, with Reading and Liverpool - who are looking to address an injury crisis in the centre of their defence - credited with an interest in the American international.

The defender is apparently keen to move on loan in search of game time, with the MLS not set to resume until April at the earliest.

Now it seems as though it is a team from the second-tier who have made the first move to secure the services of the 28-year-old, although they have apparently been unsuccessful with that.

According to this latest update, New York Red Bulls have now rejected an offer from an as yet unidentified Championship club to take Long on loan for the remainder of the season.

It is thought that the offer would have seen the club pay all of Long's wages from now until the end of the campaign, with the option to sign the defender permanently for $2-3million in the summer transfer window.

Since joining the Red Bulls in the 206, Long has made 135 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring nine goals in that time.

The defender is currently on international duty with the USA, ahead of their friendly against Trinidad and Tobago in Orlando later on Sunday.

The Verdict

This could be an interesting one to keep an eye over the course of the next couple of days.

It does seem as though things are set up for Long to make the move across the Atlantic to England, and there are a number of team who could benefit from his experience at the back.

As a result, there could well be something of a clamour for his signature between now and the close of the market on Monday.

That is something that will only be made more fascinating by the fact he is set to play for the USA tonight, and you wonder if that could have an impact on a team's chances of getting a deal done here.