HUDDERSFIELD Town are still in the hunt for Plymouth Argyle's Damien Johnson and are in talks over a deal to bring him back up north.
The midfielder, who is the Pilgrims' highest earner, is currently in limbo as the the recently relegated club want him off their books to help them cut losses and meet next season's League II salary cap - but can't afford to pay off the final year of his contract.
Embattled Plymouth are currently in the process of sorting out their dwindling finances and have not paid their players since December.
A takeover of the south coast club is currently in the wings. A sale and purchase agreement for the Pilgrims has been signed by Bishop International, a joint venture between Truro City FC chairman Kevin Heaney and Irish property developers, which must be approved by the Football League.
Johnson, 32, who was on loan at Town last season and became a fans' favourite with his hard tackling and excellent positional play before suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in December, and his agent are aware of the talks between Town and Plymouth and are said to be keen for them to come to a successful conclusion.
Plymouth Argyle's acting chairman Peter Ridsdale said Town had already made an offer to pay part of Johnson's wages for next season with Plymouth paying a proportion, meaning the player would be willing to move.
But, the Pilgrims were unhappy with the amount Town offered and knocked the deal back according to reports in the Plymouth Herald.
However, it is reported in Plymouth that Town's management have stepped in with a second, larger, offer which may be closer to the amount the Home Park club were seeking.
Ridsdale said: "What Huddersfield have done is make a proposal about how much they are prepared to subsidise his wages.
"Their initial offer didn't make it work for us, but they have come back with more money. Hopefully, there is a deal to be done."
