Bolton Wanderers have 'unacceptable bid' turned down by Derry City for skipper Eoin Toal

It's understood the Brandywell club turned down an initial bid for the 23 year-old who has made over 150 appearances for the Candy Stripes since signing in June 2017 as a teenager with Bolton one of a number of clubs keen on his services.

Toal is out of contract at the end of the season and the Trotters haven't given up hope of securing the signature of the former Northern Ireland U21 defender, however, with Evatt insisting he will continue to monitor the situation.

“He’s a player that we’re aware of," said the Bolton boss. "We did make a bid, there’s no point denying it, and at the moment that bid wasn’t acceptable. We’ll monitor where that leads to.

“But there’s no denying it. He’s a player we’re aware of, he’s a player we like, he’s a player with good attributes and we think he’ll fit the way we play. We’ll do things smartly and strategically and we value everybody. If that value is not the right value then we’ll move on to other targets, simple as that.”

There has been lots of interest in Toal from cross-channel clubs in recent weeks and Derry's Europa Conference League two-legged tie with Riga could be his last involvement with the Foylesiders should Bolton return with a higher bid.