Danny Röhl has made an admission over the status of Sheffield Wednesday’s talks with Ian Poveda - with the club still very much in the market for players of that profile.

The former Leeds United man, who is a free agent having left Elland Road at the turn of the month, made an impact in his injury-impacted half-season on loan at Hillsborough last time out. His status as a freebie has attracted interest from a range of clubs, The Star understands, including from an unnamed Ligue 1 side.

Röhl has made little secret of Wednesday’s interest in bringing Poveda back to the club on a more permanent basis but speaking to The Star on Monday seemed to draw back on social media speculation that a deal was close to completion. The German boss reiterated that the two parties were not ‘matched’ over the terms of the proposed switch.

“One the one side we have interest from the club and what we want to do, but then there is the player’s side and the agent’s side,” Röhl said. “There must be a match and maybe there are some things that are maybe not a match and so it is different. In my mind Ian Poveda is not under contract, we will look in the end where he is and what we can do, but it must be a decision together.”

Wednesday have already moved to bring in a handful of attacking players - Jamal Lowe, Olaf Kobacki and Charlie McNeill - and rescued stalling negotiations to ensure Josh Windass stayed on at the club. Asked whether space in terms of the attacking positions in the squad are running out, Röhl indicated the Owls will seek to do more work before the closure of the transfer window.

“I think there is still one position open - minimum one,” he said. “In front there is something open, in midfield there could be something open, in defence, in goalkeeper there may be something open. I think we are really in a good way at the moment but we know to achieve bigger goals we have to do something. We have to look for the cherry on the cream, this is our job.”