Birmingham chairman David Gold has told Blackburn Rovers that he will not sell them Robbie Savage.
The Ewood Park club are believed to be preparing an improved offer for the Welsh international after their initial bid of £2.2million, paid in instalments, was rejected.
But Gold insists there is no deal to be done, fearing that such a move could even lead to his side being relegated. He said: "We play Blackburn in April and just imagine a scenario where Robbie scores the winner against us and we go on to be relegated. I don't think our fans would thank us for that and we do have a responsibility to them.
"Arsenal would not sell a player to Chelsea at this stage of the season and we will certainly not sell one to Rovers. I can't believe they are serious. When you look at the structure of their bid I would be an old man by the time they have finished paying. I could even be dead…"
Manchester United chief executive David Gill is confident that Ryan Giggs will stay at Manchester United, despite a dispute over the length of contract he has been offered.
The Welsh international's current deal expires at the end of the season and it is United's policy not to offer any player over the age of 30 anything more than a 12-month extension. But Giggs is looking for a two-year deal and will be free to talk to interested clubs from next week.
But Gill remains upbeat that the situation will be resolved. He told MUTV: "I am very confident Ryan will stay with Manchester United for the remainder of his career.
"We know Ryan wants two years and we have only offered him one, which is what we feel is appropriate for a player in their 30s and it is what we have done in the past.But I am sure both parties can sort something out because Ryan doesn't want to leave and we don't want him to leave..."
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is prepared to widen his search for a new striker if his bid for Fernando Morientes fails.
Real Madrid have rejected the Reds' initial offer of £3.5million and, with Newcastle having also declared an interest in the player, Benitez is concerned that an auction could raise the price too high for his club.
He is reluctant to offer any more for a player who has only 18 months left on his Bernabeu contract and is cup-tied in European competition for the remainder of this season. Benitez said: "I know Newcastle are trying to sign the player and talk with his club, but he prefers to play at Liverpool.
"Morientes is one of the possibilities, but I'm not saying he's the only one. We are looking for different players because we don't want to have only one option…"
Southampton assistant manager Jim Smith has admitted that the club might be forced to sell James Beattie during the January transfer window.
The Saints are facing a tough relegation scrap in the second half of the season and, while they would clearly prefer to keep their leading striker, Smith and new boss, Harry Redknapp, are aware of the need to raise money for new signings of their own.
Smith admitted: "We want to keep James as long as we can. But selling someone would give us the ammunition to bring in the three, four or five quality players we require. That might be the avenue we unfortunately have to go down."
