Steve Kean: Christopher Samba will stay at Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean has reiterated his desire to keep defender Christopher Samba at the club, despite interest from Queens Park Rangers.

Samba, 27, was left out of the Blackburn side for their loss to Newcastle in the FA Cup, but Kean insists that it is unrelated to the current speculation over his future, despite a £5m bid from QPR.

"The situation is simple - before any bid came in, we said he is not for sale and he was having treatment on a hamstring so we decided not for him to travel and that had nothing to do with bid coming in," Kean stated.

"We want to add to the squad. He is not for sale, he is seven or eight months into a five-year contract and he is certainly a defender that we feel he has a presence and he has held us together and is a big part of what we are trying to do."

Samba joined Blackburn in 2007, making 184 appearances for the club in all competitions.