BARNSLEY made another signing this week but have not yet landed target Josh Koroma while Wycombe Wanderers continue to pursue their captain Luca Connell.

There are now three weeks until the Reds begin their new League One season with a long trip to Plymouth Argyle on August 2, and just over seven weeks until the summer transfer window closes on September 1.

So far, the Reds have brought in goalkeeper Murphy Cooper, left-back Nathanael Ogbeta and forward Reyes Cleary plus this week’s arrival David McGoldrick.

Koroma has been at Oakwell in the last week and the move had appeared likely to go through.

But the deal was then delayed for the 26-year-old winger, who left Huddersfield Town after six years this summer.

The reason for the delay is unclear but it was still thought, as of yesterday, that he was a potential option for the Reds.

They have also made approaches for other players as they look to accelerate their recruitment drive in the final weeks before the season starts.

Barnsley are hoping to bring in wingers with Conor Hourihane switching to a formation which uses them, while Cleary is the only natural wide forward in the current squad.

But they are thought to be looking at all outfield positions, with most transfers likely to be free or loan deals.

Meanwhile, Wycombe came back in this week with a second bid for Reds captain Connell, which is understood to have been turned down.

After having an approach knocked back last week, it is understood that the Chairboys have now offered more than £1million.

They are thought to want to sign him this summer so could come back with a third bid.

The 24-year-old midfielder is contracted until 2028 including a club option. He has played 123 games for the Reds, scoring five goals, since he signed from Celtic in 2022.

Wycombe are thought to have one of the biggest budgets in the division thanks to Kazakh billionaire owner Mikheil Lomtadze.

Several of Barnsley’s first team players have attracted plenty of interest from other clubs, with the club chairman Neerav Parekh saying before the summer that sales were likely.

The Reds are still keen to hold out for their valuations for all players.

Those attracting interest are thought to include last season’s top-scorer Davis Keillor-Dunn plus midfield trio Connell, Adam Phillips and Jon Russell, who is due to back in training next week after international duty with Jamaica then some time off.

The Reds are understood to have told clubs they want more than £5million for star man Keillor-Dunn.

Russell is entering the final year of his contract but the other three have at least two years on their current deals including club options.

Barry Cotter became the first contracted player to be moved on this summer when he was loaned to League Two Notts County for the season.

The next could be Kacper Lopata, who is thought be close to a move – potentially to another League One club on loan.

The 23-year-old centre-back has been at Oakwell since 2023, signing a four-year deal until 2027.

But he has not started a league game for the Reds since breaking his collarbone at Northampton Town in September 2023 having begun that season in the side.

The Polish-born defender has since been loaned out to Port Vale and Ross County, playing 30 games in the Scottish top flight for the latter last season.

Lopata is thought to have picked up an injury towards the end of the loan in Scotland and, although he has been in training at Oakwell this summer, he has not featured in any of the friendlies.

Players such as Kyran Lofthouse and Andy Dallas have also not featured in pre-season so far after being loaned out last season.

Although they are thought to have had some fitness issues, their futures are also unclear.

Kelechi Nwakali, who did not return for the start of pre-season due to a family matter in his native Nigeria, is thought to have been at the club this week but not yet rejoined full training.

Meanwhile, Reds target Koroma is a Londoner who started at Leyton Orient, first in League Two then after they got relegated to the National League.

He jumped up three divisions to the Championship with Huddersfield in 2019 and stayed for six years in West Yorkshire – playing 168 games and scoring 35 goals.

He was loaned out to Rotherham United in 2019/20 then Portsmouth in 2022/23 before the Terriers were relegated last year and Koroma netted 11 goals in League One including in a 2-1 win at Oakwell in February.

He has two caps for Sierra Leone after making his debut last year.