Norwich City chief executive Neil Doncaster confirmed yesterday the club would not land any cash windfall from a potential shock Championship return for striker Robert Earnshaw.

Norwich City chief executive Neil Doncaster confirmed yesterday the club would not land any cash windfall from a potential shock Championship return for striker Robert Earnshaw.

The Welsh hitman has been linked with a surprise switch to Charlton Athletic ahead of the transfer deadline tomorrow as Derby boss Billy Davies looks to bolster his survival war chest.

Davies has targeted former England U21 starlet David Nugent - himself a recent summer arrival from Preston - as a ready made replacement.

Doncaster revealed City would not benefit from any possible sell on fee after Derby activated a buy out clause in the frontman's Carrow Road contract to seal a £3.5m summer switch.

“Whatever happens or doesn't happen will have no barring on us,” he said. “The nature of that deal was the player left after Derby met the buy out clause in his contract. Derby agreed to sign the player for £3.5m and that is what we were entitled to receive. It's exactly the same situation which also occurred with Dickson Etuhu.”

Earnshaw is yet to open his Pride Park goal account and was hauled off in the rock bottom Premiership club's embarrassing home midweek Carling Cup exit to Blackpool.

A Derby spokesman yesterday refused to comment on the mounting speculation sparked by comments reportedly attributed to outspoken Plymouth Argyle boss Ian Holloway on his club's official site.

“There'll be some mental last minute panic shopping but I'm not in that game,” he said. “There's already one. Earnshaw's gone from Derby to Charlton which seems ludicrous to me.”

Rams' counterpart Davies has been linked with a string of frontmen to pep up his side's Premiership survival chances. Southampton's Kenwyne Jones and Man City outcast Darius Vassell remain on Davies' radar.

“We're hoping between now and the end of the transfer window a number of bodies can be brought in,” said Davies. “My job is to identify players, which I've done. There's then another job of trying to use the money that we've got to bring them in and do the best we can with what we've got. There's a certain amount of money to get certain players. At the moment there is nothing to report both in and out - there are lots of possibilities but nothing to report.”

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp confirmed Derby had tabled a bid for Nugent after he was on target in Pompey's cup stroll over Leeds.

“Derby have been in for him and they like him,” he said. “If people want to move on them you let them go. Sometimes when you try to raise money you have to sell somebody you really don't want to sell. It could be David, although it could be others here. What we need is a striker who can give us 15 to 20 goals a season and if we have to do some business which will improve the team we will do it because I am ambitious and the chairman is ambitious.”