Carlisle United have declined to comment on claims from defender Rhys Bennett that he received a “quite disrespectful” contract offer from the Blues. 

The centre-half told fans on his live stream that there was “no way” he could accept the deal tabled by the club last week. 

Bennett said United had offered him reduced terms. 

And while the 29-year-old has not ruled out staying at Brunton Park, he said he could not accept the deal they have put to him – and also claimed he has interest from clubs in higher divisions. 

Speaking on his Twitch stream on Saturday evening, Bennett said: “The contract that they [Carlisle] have offered is not very good. 

“I don’t want to come across as ungrateful. [But] the contract that they’ve offered is quite a bit less than I’m on. 

“If anyone asks me why I’m not signing the contract…I physically can’t sign that, especially when I have options in higher leagues. 

“From a professional standpoint, the contract offer’s quite disrespectful. That’s how I feel. 

“But I do understand that Carlisle don’t have a lot of money, and that’s fine. That’s all I’m gonna say.” 

A number of Blues supporters heard Bennett's remarks and used social media to discuss the comments over the weekend.

The former Peterborough and Mansfield defender, on his stream, added that there was no room for manoeuvre based on the initial offer he had received. 

He said: “I’m being completely and utterly honest. I’m not even gonna say we’re in negotiations because there’s no negotiation with that. 

“Even if I wanted to stay, there’s no way I could stay with that offer. 

“I don’t want it to be, ‘Why is he turning down the contract?’ The contract’s less than I’m on now, and quite a bit less.” 

United did not want to comment, with the Blues’ position being that they do not publicly discuss individual contract details. 

Bennett added that his existing deal with the club ran out last week. 

He said: “Basically, since people are asking, a normal football contract goes from July 1 to 30 June. But in Carlisle…my contract finished on May 10. 

“Normally you get six weeks’ more pay and then if you haven’t found a club, you get severance, so another month’s wage. 

“But at Carlisle you don’t get none of that. If we’d made play-offs I would have had to sign another contract for the play-offs.” 

The defender stressed that he had loved his time at Brunton Park since he joined last autumn, and insisted he did not yet know what he was going to do regarding his future.

He made 26 appearances and scored five goals for Chris Beech’s side. 

“I really enjoyed it. It’s a real, real good group of lads,” he said. 

“We went on a lads’ night out a week ago today, and I was thinking how nice it would have been to do that more often. Because of Covid it wasn’t possible. 

“It’s probably the best group of lads I’ve met.”

He also spoke highly of Beech, adding that he had played through an injury during one game to help the head coach, at a time the Blues boss was coming in for criticism amid United's difficult spell in the second half of the season.

Bennett is one of six players to be offered new deals by the Blues after the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

The others are Paul Farman, Omari Patrick, Offrande Zanzala, Nick Anderton and Morgan Feeney.