A deal for Liam Sercombe to sign for Bristol Rovers on deadline day appears highly unlikely after the Gas met an impasse in negotiations with Cheltenham Town.
Bristol Live understands the Gas made enquiries with Cheltenham over a return for Sercombe, who left the club in 2020 after a three-year stint.
But after deadline day negotiations, neither a loan move or a permanent deal could be agreed.
Barton declared his desire to bolster his midfield ranks ahead of deadline day, with The Sun reporting the club has made a move for Fleetwood Town's Callum Camps.
Jon Nolan, whose contract was terminated by Ipswich Town on Monday, is also reportedly on Rovers' list of options, according to the East Anglian Daily Times.
Sercombe was also one of the options under consideration.
He was a key player for the Gas under Darrell Clarke and Graham Coughlan after he signed from Oxford United in 2017, scoring 13 goals in 103 League One appearances in the blue and white quarters.
But as part of Ben Garner's summer revolution in 2020, Sercombe was not offered a new contract and reluctantly left behind a club he has great affection for, signing a two-year deal with Cheltenham.
The 31-year-old has had a successful spell at Whaddon Road, winning the League Two title last season and he has been a near ever-present in Michael Duff's side in the third tier.
But Sercombe is out of contract at the end of the season and still lives in Bristol, so the opportunity was appealing to the player, but with the deadline nearing the chances of a deal being done are remote.
Camps, meanwhile, has been mooted as a player of interest for the Gas all month, and Alan Nixon of The Sun reports Rovers are chasing the playmaker's signature before the deadline.
The 26-year-old was signed by Barton at Fleetwood in 2020 and the pair are understood to have a strong mutual respect for each other.
Nolan has many suitors after being cut loose by the Tractor Boys. The EADT reports Championship side Peterborough United and a host of League One and League Two clubs are chasing the free agent.
The 29-year-old, like Barton, is from Huyton in Liverpool, but the chances of a deal being struck appear slim with plenty of competition from higher leagues.
Story updated at 9pm.
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