Birmingham City have rejected Celtic's bid of £5.5million plus central defender Bobo Balde for Scotland striker James McFadden.City chairman David Gold has insisted McFadden is "not for sale".

Celtic fan McFadden pledged his future to Blues when it became clear their relegation from the Premier League was inevitable.

And Birmingham manager Alex McLeish knows keeping the likes of McFadden and Sebastian Larsson is crucial if they are to mount a strong promotion challenge.

The Bhoys were interested in taking McFadden on loan from Everton during the January transfer window - but McLeish's £5million offer plus add-ons was accepted by the Toffees.

He was already well versed in McFadden's capabilities from his spell as Scotland boss and he impressed for Blues before suffering a knee injury.

Gold said: "James McFadden is not for sale. We want to keep our best players to help us try to get back to the Premier League as quickly as possible."

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