Paddy Davitt Norwich chief Paul Lambert has not ruled out a fresh bid for Exeter defender Dan Seaborne.City's opening five figure gambit was dismissed as 'derisory' by Grecians' director of football Steve Perryman but Lambert admitted the Canaries are weighing up an improved offer for the highly-rated 22-year-old.

Paddy Davitt

Norwich chief Paul Lambert has not ruled out a fresh bid for Exeter defender Dan Seaborne.

City's opening five figure gambit was dismissed as 'derisory' by Grecians' director of football Steve Perryman but Lambert admitted the Canaries are weighing up an improved offer for the highly-rated 22-year-old.

Lambert also confirmed yesterday Norwich had made a previous inquiry during the final days of the August transfer window for the Exeter youth product.

But the City boss is now prepared to bid his time with Seaborne out-of-contract next summer as the cat-and-mouse transfer games begin in earnest ahead of the countdown to January's next transfer window.

“We have made an inquiry to see what the situation was for him because he is in his last year,” said Lambert. “At the minute that is where it stands now and its something we can't do anything about at this stage. There's a possibility that we might go back in but Exeter have turned it down. It's like anything, whenever a new manager goes into a football club they try to find out which players are out there who can help the current group of lads try so we've tried to identify who we can bring in and who is available.

“The squad is not big by any stretch of the imagination. Ideally we could do with someone now but if we have to wait for the right player then we can do that. He is certainly someone we have spoken about for a while and a few weeks back we did made a little inquiry but nothing really materialised. By the same token, things change and I know he is out of contract in the summer.”

Lambert has also warned the Grecians' hierarchy he will look elsewhere in a bid to bolster his threadbare defence.

“We have other targets but we don't just want to put names in the frame and we certainly won't just bring in people for the sake of it,” he said. “Our squad is not massively big. Look what happened to Michael Nelson and now Michael Spillane and it leaves us with two central defenders.

“Obviously the central defensive area is a priority for me because we simply don't have enough cover with just Gary (Doherty) and Jens (Berthel Askou) in there. Now we've also got a few other knocks it just shows you that you're playing catch up but we'll only be able to do what the finances dictate in January. This current group of lads need a hand and that is what we will try to do. Of course we might need to balance that off maybe in the other direction but as I've said this group have been brilliant, absolutely terrific. They're playing really well for me at the minute and I hope they can keep it going.”

Grecians' boss Paul Tisdale hinted Exeter could still be still prepared to do business at the right price.

“Who knows what is going to happen? We don't stand in anybody's way if we get the right offer,” he said. “I am not looking to sell the player in the slightest. I don't want to sell any player at this football club. We have got over 20 professionals here and I regard them all as important as each other. Danny is playing well at the moment and I am pleased with how he is doing.

“I am not surprised that this has happened because our players are going to be sought after. So this is a usual situation, the only thing unusual about it is that it has gone to the press.”

Exeter director of football Perryman reiterated Norwich would have to considerably up their initial bid.

“Yes, we have had an offer but it was that derisory that it didn't feel like one,” he said. “Not that we are interested in selling him anyway, especially to such a derisory offer. He is under 24 and it would go to a tribunal (if he left in the summer). That's why we don't have to take such a derisory offer. We don't want to sell him, but everyone has a price. It is not as if we are angling for this by putting out that message. We would prefer it to be derisory and there be no mention of it, but it is derisory.

“He is a good player, of course he is. We are becoming very proficient as a club in producing such players, be it Dean Moxey, George Friend and Billy Jones even. Danny is as good as any of those and we are very proud to have had such an influence on his career as this is the place where he grew up. At some point, like other players, he is going to leave and it is going to be to the right club for the right offer. That is how it is going to be.”