Southampton transfer news: Morgan Schneiderlin rumour has gone away, says Ronald Koeman

Club say their midfielder is not for sale at any price

Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin is not for sale, says Ronald Koeman (Getty)

The Tottenham manager, Mauricio Pochettino, can put away his chequebook because the message is loud and clear – Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin is not for sale. At any price.

Former Saints manager Pochettino has been interested in taking the French midfielder to Tottenham for weeks. Bids ranging from £12m to £16m have been widely reported, with speculation over a swap deal involving England winger Andros Townsend.

But while Southampton may be keen on Townsend, Schneiderlin is central to manager Ronald Koeman’s plans and will be going nowhere, the Dutchman said.

“For us the rumours about him have gone away,” Koeman said. “He played a fantastic match for us against Liverpool, and how he has acted is fantastic.”

Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Luke Shaw all left Southampton in the summer, which seemed to unsettle Schneiderlin. However, the Frenchman would now appear to be locked into the Saints set-up this season.

“He showed his qualities last Sunday and we are happy to have him,” Koeman said.