The Cumbrians have already turned down an offer in the region of £500,000 from the Championship side but are braced for a second bid for the 20-year-old former England youth international.

However, Graham hopes his team-mate will refuse the lure of the Reds, and told the Carlisle News & Star: "I would love to see Joe stay as I love playing up front with him.

"Hopefully he will stay. It would send out a great message if we could keep our best asset and stop him going to a Championship club. He was a huge player for us last season before his injury and he has massive potential.

"He's just a young lad and has a great future. As a club, we need to be ambitious and keep hold of our best players. It would be a massive bonus if Joe stayed."