Les Ferdinand has told clubs chasing Charlie Austin that the Queens Park Rangers striker will not be sold on the cheap this month.
Austin, who will be out of contract at the end of the season, is a January target for sides including Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Newcastle.
Director of football Ferdinand said QPR have not ruled out selling the striker, despite the possibility of launching a late promotion challenge in the Championship.
Standard Sport revealed in November that Austin, 26, would consider leaving the club early but only for a side competing in the top half of the Premier League and that remains the case. Austin has publicly said he would be happy to see out the season at Loftus Road.
Rangers wanted £15 million for Austin last summer but it is believed they will now accept half of that amount.
However, Ferdinand admitted the final decision will rest with Austin and not QPR. He said: “We can’t force Charlie out of the door, he will do what’s right for his career. It’s not in our hands, it’s in Charlie’s hands.
“It depends what club comes in for him. No one has approached us yet. There have been tons of rumours but we haven’t had any calls.
“We have to be realistic. Charlie has five months on his contract and no one will pay £15m for him now. But we won’t sell him cheap. If a club offered £2m, we’d like to think Charlie’s goals will be worth a lot more than that to us as he could get us in the play-offs.
“Yet we are still in a position where someone could offer £10m but if he doesn’t want to go, he’s not going.”
When does the transfer window close across Europe? Scroll over the map below to find out.
It has been suggested by some fans that Ramsey got the job just two months after being sacked as QPR manager only because of his friendship with Ferdinand.
But the former England striker said: “It’s ludicrous. I looked at several CVs — I can’t afford to appoint someone just because they’re a friend. People have to take the fact we are friends out of the way. This is purely professional and what’s right for QPR.”
