Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish rubbishes Stilian Petrov January exit reports

The Bulgarian midfielder had been suggested as being up for sale, but the Scottish manager has denied that he is available and says club have no intention of letting him go

13 Dec 2011 09:35:00

By Chris Butterworth JR

More On :  Aston Villa, Alex McLeish, Stilian Petrov
EPL: Stiliyan Petrov, Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa
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Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has denied reports that he is willing to listen to offers for Stilian Petrov in January.

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The Bulgarian has played in over 200 games for the club since his move from Celtic in 2006 and has 18 months left on his current deal.

However, recent transfer rumours have suggested that the Scottish manager will allow his captain to leave for the right price as he looks to rebuild the squad.

But McLeish has denied reports that the 32-year-old is available and said the midfielder will not be allowed to leave unless the club receives an offer they cannot refuse.

He told the Birmingham Mail: “I saw that but we’ve never said anything.

“I can only assume it's come from an agent. We've never said, and I've never said to Stan, 'we'll try and get you out in January'.

"Sometimes some things happen and fall in your lap.

"Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice but we have no intentions of letting Stan go in January unless someone comes in with a bid we can't refuse.

"But I'm sure that's not going to happen. I said when I came in, the only experienced midfielder we have is Stan Petrov."

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