The Rams boss Paul Jewell told the media that Derby County have had official talks to Kevin Blackwell and Terry Robinson. He said:"I hear that sources at Sheffield United are telling their local press that there has been no discussion between the two clubs about Rob Hulse.
"Well those sources must be ill-informed or completely out of the loop. I have personally discussed the matter with their manager Kevin Blackwell and their chairman Terry Robinson.
"We couldn't come to an agreement on a fee and the deal, as far as I'm concerned, is now dead. Those negotiations have broken down completely now, which is a shame, but we have other targets and we are aggressively pursuing them."
Meanwhile Kevin Blackwell has confirmed that the Blades are trying to sort out a deal with Wigan Athletic to move David Cotterill from the JJB to Bramall Lane.