Hatters confirm Connell bid

Connell, 28, netted 25 goals for the Mariners in their Blue Square Bet Premier campaign last season, including one against Luton at Blundell Park.

Town’s interest in the striker has been widely reported in recent weeks and when asked if there was a bid on the table, Brabin said: “Yes there is.

“I’ve had my finger on the pulse but one of the things you’ve got to look at, certainly at this level, is when there’s a club like Luton coming in, all of a sudden talk is out in the open.

“I’m not the type of manager who wants to do that. We’ve made a bid that we think is fair.

“Certainly one of the things I don’t want to get involved in is a bidding war. He’s a good quality player and scored a lot of goals at this level last season.

“We’ve made the next step, at the moment, they’re (Grimsby) not accepting the bid.

“We’ve got to sit tight. There’s a few bids floating around.

“We’re interested in different players as well and have got to work out first and foremost what’s right for the club and the player.

“We certainly don’t want to just clog the squad up with bodies, they’ve got to be people who can do a job and are good quality.

“I want to bring the right players in and I’m 100 per cent confident the board will back me when we see fit to go for certain players.

“We don’t want to be paying over the odds for players though.”

Mariners chairman John Fenty confirmed Hatters had made an official approach for the in demand striker, but it was nowhere near enough.

He said: “We have now had a confirmed bid from Luton but it is derisory – it is nothing we would entertain. We’ve made Alan aware of the Luton offer and that we have turned it down.

“I can only say again that he is not for sale. He is under contract at this football club and we don’t want a key player to leave.

“I don’t think Alan is desperate to leave. He’s a professional and I’m sure will continue to be committed to the club.

“I’m not sure we would want to sell to a rival club in our division anyway or whether Alan, who has stated a desire to play higher, would want to go to another club in our division.”