Wolves' big-money bid for Derby striker Chris Martin rejected

The offer is thought to be £6.5million - but the Rams have instantly knocked it back.

The 27-year-old striker was surprisingly named on the bench for Derby's opening-day draw against Brighton, with former Villa and England man Darren Bent preferred up front.

However Derby are believed to have little interest in selling Scottish international Martin, who has been the club's top scorer for the past three seasons.

New boss Nigel Pearson has overseen very few changes in terms of transfers this summer, with the Rams yet to make a single splash in the transfer market, although a £7m bid for Sheffield Wednesday star Fernando Forestieri was rejected earlier this week.

Wednesday are now said to have targeted both Jeff Hendrick and Tom Ince in an ambitious double swoop.

Martin scored three goals against Wolves last season - two in the Rams' 4-2 home win, and a free kick in the return game at Molineux which Wolves won 2-1.

He was the focal point in a 4-3-3 formation last year but Pearson switched to 4-4-1-1 against Brighton, with Ince playing behind Bent.

Pearson paired Martin with Bent as Derby laboured to a 1-0 EFL Cup win over Grimsby on Tuesday. Martin was withdrawn after 71 minutes while Bent played the full 90.

Wolves signed striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson for £1m from Kaiserslautern last week.

Joe Mason and the soon-to-return Nouha Dicko are the other senior strikers on their books.

Meanwhile outcast winger Nathan Byrne is thought to be on the radar of a host of Championship clubs.

Byrne was the only fit senior player not to feature in either of Walter Zenga's first two games as Wolves boss.

Wigan, Preston North End and Brentford are said to be keen on Byrne, who cost Wolves £1m when he joined from Swindon Town last summer.

Byrne found his opportunities limited under Jackett, making only 10 starts last season and a further 14 appearances from the bench.