Steven Pressley says Carlisle United have turned down a fresh bid for forward Hallam Hope.

An unnamed club have approached the Blues for the striker but seen their offer rejected.

It comes after the News & Star revealed yesterday that there was fresh interest in the 25-year-old from rivals.

Pressley has insisted he wants Hope to stay at Brunton Park. But he said today he has targets in mind in the event that the frontman is sold before the September 2 transfer deadline.

The Carlisle manager said: “We turned down an offer on Hallam from a club I’ll not mention out of respect.

“I spoke to Hallam yesterday regarding it – I’ve told Hallam I don’t want him to go and I want him to be part of this team moving forward this season.

“I understand he’s got ambition, that I respect, but I also want him to be part of this team.

“He’s a really good player, a key player and we had a good conversation.”

Hope told United in the summer that he would like to leave if a sufficient offer came in from a club where he felt he could further his career.

Last season's 15-goal top scorer also said he would like the opportunity to play at a higher level.

Clubs in League One and League Two are eying Hope but Pressley did not say which level the latest bidding club were at.

He also said United must be mindful of Hope’s value in the market. Pressley added: “Of course the window’s closing, and if it goes beyond the window and Hallam does not sign a new contract there’s a danger of us losing him for nothing.

“These are all the considerations for the club. [But] purely between me and the player, I’d like him to stay.”

Pressley said he had targets in mind in case United do sell Hope and said that the club would “definitely” need to replace any player who left.

He also confirmed that such a signing would be a permanent addition rather than a loanee, given Carlisle currently have five loan players, the maximum they can include in a matchday squad.

Pressley said: “I wouldn’t sign, out of respect, a sixth loan player. It’s wrong. The players come here on loan with the belief they’re going to be involved.

“It would have to be a permanent player. When you come towards the window you get a number of players that negotiate their way out [of their clubs] prior to the window closing.”

Pressley has previously claimed that the loan market represented better “value for money” in the attacking department than the permanent players Carlisle could afford.

Asked, though, if he believed United’s permanent targets now would be of the right calibre, he said: “The indications are yes, on a couple that we have interest in. But it’s like all our targets – until we get them here I can’t be sure.”

Hope has made three sub appearances this season since returning from injury and will be hoping for a call-up against Salford tomorrow if Pressley makes changes.