Sheffield Wednesday are reported to have abandoned their interest in Norwich City striker Cody McDonald.

Owls manager Gary Megson complained that he was quoted a 'brainless' price of �600,000 for one of his transfer targets, with reports in the Sheffield Star claiming 25-year-old McDonald was the player concerned.

The former Norwich boss revealed last week that a bid had been made for a fringe player at a Premier League club and an attempt made to sign another player at a top-flight club on loan.

Megson said: 'One of the things we suffer from is that the minute clubs find out we're interested, they think they're going to win the pools, because it's Sheffield Wednesday. But this club is run as stringently as Blackpool were when I was there.

'We're not the Manchester City of the first division. We've sold more than we've bought. So we have to suffer with that.

'We've just gone for a player where four teams offered around the same amount of money, yet the chief executive is hanging out for around �600,000, which is not going to happen.'

Megson refused to name the club concerned but told The Star: 'It seems brainless, to me, what they ask for. Things that managers and owners do are in the public domain, and everybody has an opinion on them. Yet chief execs make these decisions. They might not go right, but nobody is ever aware of them.

'It's not my business, but I don't think he will get that. It may end up costing his club around half a million quid. If I was the player involved, I'd be going ballistic. We have to move on and see if we can get somebody else.'

City last night declined to comment on the latest report linking McDonald with the Owls.

McDonald had talks with Oldham during the close season, and was also linked with Peterborough last month, when chairman Darragh McAnthony claimed he was quoted �550,000 as the asking price.

The former Dartford striker is under contract to the Canaries until next summer but it seems certain he will not feature in their Premier League squad of 25. McDonald spent all last season on loan at Gillingham, scoring 25 goals and being voted player of the year, but is one of a group of players to have played no part in City's pre-season friendlies or the tour of Germany.