Paul Heckingbottom has revealed that Barnsley have had a bid rejected to buy loanee Joe Williams from Everton, according to the Yorkshire Post. 

The 21-year-old has made 25 appearances during his current loan spell at Oakwell, netting once against Burton Albion in October and Heckingbottom has revealed that a bid was tabled which was then rebuffed.

Williams has started every game except one in the league this season, which he missed through suspension, and his importance to Barnsley is underlined by the club's desire to bring him on on a permanent basis in the January window.

Heckingbottom said: "There was a bid and that was it. [It was] rejected. He has done great here and we wouldn’t have made a bid if we didn’t think otherwise"

The Verdict

Heckingbottom has seen many important players, such as Sam Winnall and Conor Hourihane, leave the club in recent times and is keen to avoid a similar fate at the end of the season by tying down Williams on a full-time basis.

It would be a no-brainer for the club to come to an agreement to buy him and I would expect Barnsley to return with a higher bid to try and get the deal done.

It remains to be seen just how far apart Heckingbottom and Sam Allardyce are in their valuation of the player but the former Newcastle boss does not usually prioritise youth development so a deal could well be done.

Barnsley fans - how much should you bid for Williams? How key is it that you sign him up full-time? Let us know below...