Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has seemingly ended his pursuit of Republic of Ireland striker Michael Obafemi.
Mowbray had been open about his interest in the Southampton player, following Adam Armstrong's £15million (€17m) move to St. Mary's.
But progress on a proposed move had slowed, despite Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl admitting Obafemi would find it difficult to secure opportunities at the Premier League club this season.
Obafemi was limited to just 57-minutes of top flight action last season, and wasn't in the matchday squad for last week's defeat at Everton.
If the 21-year old is to leave Southampton this summer, it's unlikely to be for Blackburn.
"I think it's fallen off the radar, I would have to say," Mowbray told a press conference on Friday.
"He's never a player that we got to the point that I met him or spoke to him.
“It felt as though it was something that could create a balance, but it probably didn't suit either party and it doesn't look to me as though that one will materialise."
Obafemi has also been linked with fellow Championship side Bournemouth, with the transfer window to close on August 31.
Mowbray says Blackburn are still in the market for reinforcements, despite missing out on the Southampton forward.
"We expect players to arrive before the deadline," he said. "Conversations are ongoing really with a few good players and a good few clubs.
“We've met several players here, talked to them and their advisors and introduced them to our facility.
"We'll see what the reaction is. The bottom line is we don't put the gun to anybody's head and we're not in a position to offer people more money than a lot of teams in this league.
“It's not easy, but we're doing our very best to sign players that we hope can help our team to improve or at some point in the future have the potential to help our squad improve."
Umbro release blue Ireland jersey to mark FAI centenary
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
