Wolves today threw out Sunderland’s £10m bid for Steven Fletcher as Sam Vokes prepared to join Burnley for £500,000.

The Molineux board remains determined to keep the club’s best players unless exceptional money is put on the table.

It is understood they do not see the Black Cats’ offer – the first serious bid for the 25-year-old – as anywhere near to tempting them to sell.

That means Sunderland have a decision to make on whether to up the ante or move on to other targets.

Either way, Wolves’ position is the same – they neither welcome offers or want to create a bidding war for players they are desperate to keep to help regain their Premier League status at the earliest opportunity.

Another sub-plot is the 15 per cent sell-on Burnley are due on the profit of Fletcher if Wolves sell.

Villa, whose boss Paul Lambert is a big admirer of Fletcher, have spoken to Wolves but Molineux sources are not now expecting a bid.

Wolves have erected a wall of silence over bids for other players attracting interest.

Like Fletcher, whose ankle injury is again likely to keep him out of tonight’s first-team friendly at Shrewsbury, they have no interest in losing Matt Jarvis or Michael Kightly, although modest undisclosed bids have been made for the pair from un-named clubs.

Meanwhile, Vokes was on his way up the M6 to Lancashire today for a medical pending agreement on personal terms prior to signing a three or four-year deal at Turf Moor.

The Wales international preferred Burnley to Championship rivals Millwall, as he is familiar with Clarets boss Eddie Howe from his time at Bournemouth and from his loan spell at Burnley from November to January last season, which saw him score twice in nine games.

Providing his move goes through, which will see Wolves make a good profit on the £300,000 they paid Bournemouth in June 2008, the 22-year-old will join Burnley’s two-match tour of the West Country, although probably not in time to play in tonight’s friendly against Bath City.

The departure of Vokes, who scored nine goals in 59 games including 13 starts for Wolves, will bring the number of exits under boss Stale Solbakken to four after Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Adlene Guedioura and Leigh Griffiths.

See also:

• Wolves complete loan deal for Tongo Doumbia
• Kevin Doyle is ready to stay at Wolves
• Wolves to consider extending contracts