Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert says there is no way the club will be selling Luke Woolfenden on the cheap this month.

Speaking after tonight's goalless draw in difficult conditions at Oxford United, a point keeping the Blues third in the League One table, Lambert was asked about national reports of Premier League club Sheffield United being set to make a £3m bid for his in-form young defender.

"You can put another three in front of that and then I might think," he replied. "Three million?! Three million doesn't even buy you a flake! There's absolutely no chance whatsoever that would ever happen.

"The big lad is playing fantastically well, everybody knows it. Three million? No way. Put it this way, I won't let the same mistakes happen like happened with (Adam) Webster and the boy (Matt) Clarke, that's for sure.

"There's been no interest in any of our players as far as I know, but you can't stop people putting bids in for guys."

Asked if there might be any further additions to the loan signing of Preston defender Josh Earl, Lambert said: "We just don't have the money, the money is not there. Marcus (Evans) has made it pretty clear to everybody that we can only do little bits here and there. That's where the club is at the minute. We have to go with the guys who have been great for me.

"Josh could be the only one. If there's something there that Marcus thought was right then I'm sure he would try and help, but we have to remember where the club is at. You know the debts and what's gone on. He can't just magic money out the air, the club has got to keep continuing to survive. That's the way it is."

On the addition of Earl, who was an unused substitute at the Kassam Stadium, Lambert said: "Woolfenden and Chambers are doing it (the attack-minded wide centre-back roles) really well for us, but we needed a left-footer. If he learns and we can make him understand the role and be a better player to go back to Preston then great. He's a good kid and has all the attributes. We'll see how he does.

"We needed a left-footer and another centre-half with Toto (Nsiala) going to Bolton."