Andrew Johnson has confirmed he wants to leave Crystal Palace to improve his chances of playing for England in next year’s World Cup.
But Palace chairman Simon Jordan has hit back at Johnson’s public transfer request and insisted yet again that the striker is going nowhere.
Johnson earned two England caps off the back of his 21 goals in the Premiership last season, but he doesn’t believe he’ll get any more if he kicks off next season in the Championship.
"I must leave Crystal Palace," Johnson told the News of the World. "I want to play for England in the World Cup finals in Germany next summer. That's it in a nutshell."
"I can say, hand on heart, that if we had stayed up at Palace then this would not have been an issue. I would be staying.
"I believe my chances of going to Germany would suffer significantly if I'm down playing in the Championship. Mr. Eriksson hasn't told me to leave Palace. But it's clearly a matter of common sense.
"I certainly could never forgive myself if I let the chance slip. If I stayed at Palace and missed out on my dream I would be tortured by it forever."
Unsurprisingly, Jordan doesn’t see things in quite the same way.
"I understand Andy's concerns but we will not sell him," he said. "If Andy doesn't like it he can throw his toys out of the pram, but will that really help his England chances? I don't think so."
And Jordan has indicated he may report Johnson’s agent Leon Angel to the footballing authorities for apparently unsettling a player still tied down to a four-year deal.
"I have tired of this saga. I have made it abundantly clear Andrew is under contract to Palace and he is not available for sale," Jordan added in the Sunday Mirror.
"He is an integral part of our plans to make a swift return to top-flight football and I have no intention of being dictated to. I would rather support Millwall than give in to this."