Leeds United have accepted defeat in their attempts to keep Bradley Johnson but are still waiting to hear if Neil Kilkenny intends signing a new contract this summer or is moving on.

Both men’s contracts run out at the end of June and the midfielders are free to find other clubs. Johnson has received offers, including two from the Premier League, believed to be Sunderland and newly-promoted Norwich.

Johnson’s agent has told United the player is keeping his options open but after receiving top-flight approaches he is unlikely to re-sign.

Manager Simon Grayson said: “It’s disappointing that it looks like Bradley won’t be re-signing. We felt we made the player a suitable offer.

“I’d like to thank Bradley for his contribution but the contractual situation we work in nowadays means that players have the ability to make choices such as this.

“It is a situation we wanted resolving because we are looking ahead to next season and planning accordingly.”

Johnson and Kilkenny have made over 100 league appearances each for the club. Johnson missed just one league match last season and Kilkenny, who was away with the Australian squad for the whole of January, made 37 Championship appearances.

Midfielder Jonny Howson is on standby for England’s under-21 squad which competes in the European Championship finals in Denmark next month.

Howson was in Stuart Pearce’s original party but failed to make the final 23 despite the absence of Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere through tiredness.

England’s under-21s are in Group B and will play Spain on June 12, Ukraine three days later and the Czech Republic on June 19.