Derby boss Wayne Rooney sends out transfer message to Celtic over Nathan Byrne

WAYNE ROONEY has sent a clear message to Celtic in their pursuit of Derby defender Nathan Byrne: ‘He’s going nowhere’.

The Hoops are actively seeking a right-back following Jonjoe Kenny’s return to parent club Everton in the summer.

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Derby boss Wayne Rooney

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Nathan Byrne (left) not for sale

Reports earlier said the club had submitted a bid for Royal Antwerp’s Aurelio Buta which was well under the Belgian side’s valuation of the player.

Celts were also reportedly in advanced negotiations with full-back Sacha Boey of Rennes before the 20-year-old walked away from the deal.

Brandon Soppy and George Baldock are two others linked with a move.

Byrne is moving into the final year of his Rams’ contract but the Pride Park club are currently under a transfer embargo, preventing them from signing anyone on a permanent deal.

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And Manchester United and England’s record goalscorer has warned the Parkhead club not to bother with their attempts for Byrne as he is ‘one of the most important players’ at his disposal.

Rooney said: “None of my players are going anywhere.

“Obviously, we haven’t got enough players as it is.

“The way we are trying to play, they (Byrne and team-mate Lee Buchanan) are the two most important players on the pitch, so none of my players will be leaving the club this transfer window unless it is to benefit them, whether it is a loan, but that can only happen if we are allowed to bring players in.”

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David Moyes admitted yesterday he sympathises with Celtic’s young centre-backs after his side’s 6-2 romp at Parkhead.

Stephen Welsh and Dane Murray had it tough against two-goal Michail Antonio – but Moyes said: “I’ve played here and I know what it’s like.

“You have to have great big you-know-whats to play for Celtic, especially if you’re a young centre-back.

“So you have to be patient with them.

“Centre-backs are really hard to get anywhere now.

“If you look at the level and the prices you will probably see over the next month or so of people trying to buy centre-backs – you see Ben White going to Arsenal for £50million.

“To get good quality ones is really difficult so it means you are going to have to give young players the chance to develop and hope they improve.

“I thought Celtic played very well and for the first 30 minutes – they missed a couple, we missed a couple.

“They were more a bit more into the games than we were but we have some power and pace up front that can cause a lot of problems.

“But I think Celtic will have a good chance to go through in midweek because I thought they showed some good stuff.”

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