Barcelona "rule out" David Villa exit

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has insisted that David Villa will not be allowed to leave the club during the January transfer window.

Recent reports had linked the Spanish international, who has spent most of the current season on the bench, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

However, Rosell had told potential suitors that the 31-year-old's services are required at the Camp Nou between now and the end of the season.

"I completely rule out of the transfer of Villa during the winter market. He is ours and we need him. There is a lot of the season left," he told a Catalan radio station.

Villa joined Barcelona in the summer of 2010 from Valencia.