( AFP ) - Everton have rejected Celtic's bid to sign Scotland forward James McFadden on loan.
The Scottish champions made their offer over the weekend but Everton chief executive Keith Wyness insisted his club had no intention of letting McFadden leave when the transfer window opens in January.
David Moyes's side face a busy New Year, with a League Cup semi-final against Chelsea packed in between Premier League and FA Cup commitments, so McFadden is vital to their plans even though he has struggled to break into the team this season.
"It is absolute nonsense to suggest that James McFadden will be joining Celtic on loan," Wyness told the Scottish Daily Mail: "The fact is Celtic made a request to us on Saturday and it was immediately rejected out of hand.
"We are in the League Cup semi-finals, the last 32 of the UEFA Cup and still have the FA Cup to come.
"We also have Premiership commitments, so we need all our top players around."
Celtic could still get their man in the long run though because former Motherwell star McFadden, who was an unused substitute in Sunday's defeat at Manchester United, would consider a move back to Scotland if he doesn't become a first-team regular soon.
"I'd love to play in the Premiership (Premier League) but if it's not going to happen, or if a chance to go back to Scotland came in and I felt it was the right thing for me, then I would do it," McFadden said.
"The club have made it clear they want to offer me a contract and I have not gone down that road yet because I want to try to get into the team before I start talking about contracts."