The David Villa transfer saga took another twist on Friday when Valencia president Manuel Llorente suddenly declared that the Spain striker was "not for sale".
The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea had all been linked with the 27-year-old as cash-strapped Valencia seemed poised to cash in on their prize asset.
Real president Florentino Pérez had said on Thursday that the completion of a deal between the clubs was "a matter of time".
However, Valencia have now decided that the prolific hitman is going nowhere.
"We have taken the decision to not sell David Villa," Llorente told a press conference. "We've taken this decision after some days of thought in which we studied the advantages and disadvantages.
"We think David Villa is the best striker in Europe and we have the fortune to have him in our team and we are going to fight to keep him.
"It's not a strategy, but to avoid all the rumours. Because they affect Valencia, the media and the player.
"We have to be calm and think about the project. When we talked of selling it was because we thought that some players could bring in a lot of money, like Villa. But it's not been like that."
Llorente did admit, though, that he might reconsider his stance if he received a "scandalously" big offer for the player.
He added: "Villa is not for sale - but if there is an offer that is scandalously scandalous we will consider it."
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The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea had all been linked with the 27-year-old as cash-strapped Valencia seemed poised to cash in on their prize asset.
Real president Florentino Pérez had said on Thursday that the completion of a deal between the clubs was "a matter of time".
However, Valencia have now decided that the prolific hitman is going nowhere.
"We think David Villa is the best striker in Europe and we have the fortune to have him in our team and we are going to fight to keep him.
"It's not a strategy, but to avoid all the rumours. Because they affect Valencia, the media and the player.
"We have to be calm and think about the project. When we talked of selling it was because we thought that some players could bring in a lot of money, like Villa. But it's not been like that."
Llorente did admit, though, that he might reconsider his stance if he received a "scandalously" big offer for the player.
He added: "Villa is not for sale - but if there is an offer that is scandalously scandalous we will consider it."
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