Southgate warns suitors off his stars
Southgate will only sell if the price is right
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Monday, 22, Dec 2008 09:40
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has warned any clubs thinking of trying the poach their best players that it will an offer of Lassana Diarra-type proportions for the Teesiders to consider selling.
A host of clubs have been linked with January moves for some of Middlesbrough's young stars such as David Wheater and Alan Johnson.
Southgate insists that he has no interest in selling, unless an astronomical offer comes their way along the lines of the £20 million Real Madrid have paid Portsmouth for Diarra.
"I would rather keep hold of who we've got than sell, but something like that Diarra offer can happen and it alters things," Southgate told the official Middlesbrough website.
"There will be interest in some of our players and there may be an offer that we find impossible to turn down.
"Everyone is realistic about things. Last year we decided to sell Jonathan Woodgate and Luke Young when that was the situation.
"It would be unrealistic for me to say any player is not for sale and we're not in a position to say player X, Y or Z is untouchable.
"There would have to be an exceptional offer for some players to go - but there are clubs out there who have exceptional money."
Southgate says that despite the fervent reports in the media, the club have yet to receive any contact.
"We've read the speculation in the papers as everyone else has," he said. "I've had to check my phone and make sure there was a signal because nobody has called me.
"We've got some good players here who other teams would like to take. If teams want to buy our players they will have to pick the phone up, but they haven't done yet and I hope it stays that way."