Barrow boss Dave Bayliss confident of new signings

Bayliss is currently in talks with a midfielder

Barrow joint-boss Dave Bayliss says he is expecting to make some positive movement in the transfer market in the next few weeks.

The Bluebirds have yet to announce their first signing of the summer after seeing seven players leave the club.

"We are working really hard," Bayliss told BBC Radio Cumbria. "Talks are positive with a lot of players.

"We need to address the areas where we have lost players and those we bring in will be of higher and better quality."

The Bluebirds suffered another blow last week with the news that striker Lee McEvilly has joined Irish side Sligo Rovers.

We're talking to a really good centre midfielder who in our opinion is better than what we've lost

Dave Bayliss

McEvilly follows the departures of Gareth Jelleyman, Andy Bond, Carlos Logan, Luke Powell, Stuart Tomlinson and Tim Deasy since the end of last season.

Bayliss said: "We've got probably three of the best strikers at this level in Jason Walker, Nick Chadwick and Greg Blundell and there'll be another good striker coming in as well."

The joint-boss has revealed he is currently in talks with a midfield replacement for Andy Bond who turned down a new deal at Holker Street.

"We're talking to a really good centre midfielder who in our opinion is better than what we've lost," he said.

"That's not to say we don't rate Andy Bond because we do but this lad is maybe just a different kind of player."

A new goalkeeper is also top of the Bluebirds shopping list this summer following the departures of Tomlinson and Deasy.

"We would be daft to replace them with someone of lesser calibre than either of them," Bayliss said. "The keeper we get in will be better in our opinion."

Bayliss also revealed that former loan winger Craig Nelthorpe was a summer target before the player signed for Gateshead.

"We spoke to Craig a number of times over the summer but we couldn't compete with what Gateshead were offering," he said.

"Gateshead offered him a house, better wages and a re-location fee. He's got a wife and two young kids to think about and we couldn't offer him a deal like that."