Leeds United manager Simon Grayson has denied making a bid for Hamilton midfielder James McArthur.

Reports in Scotland suggest United are willing to pay £750,000 for the 22-year-old, who has also been interesting Wigan, but Grayson said: “There is no deal in place. We know about the player – he is a good player – but a deal is a long way off even if we decide to go down that line.

“We are linked with players all the time and that doesn’t surprise me because so many of them want to play for us.

“Some clubs, not necessarily McArthur’s, use Leeds United maybe to increase the price of players they want to sell.”

United complete their pre-season tour to Slovakia tomorrow night by taking on MFK Kosice, just three days after losing 1-0 to MFK Ruzomberok in the opening game of the tour.

Once again, Grayson is set to give most of the squad a run-out, with progressive fitness rated more important than the result. Slovakian trialists Tomas Brusko and Marian Jarabica, who played in the opening 45 minutes against Rzomberok, are not expected to play.