Roque Santa Cruz stays with Blackburn

5.00pm: Blackburn have managed to hold on to their striker Roque Santa Cruz after attempts to seal a last minute deal with Manchester City floundered.

After failing to meet the £25m asking price by Sunday's deadline the deal seemed to be dead and buried, but it was resurrected on the last day of the transfer window when City came back with a new offer, including a player, believed to be Felipe Caicedo, in part exchange.

Blackburn were prepared to do business on that basis, as they said their main concern was not with the fee but with being able to find a replacement for the Paraguayan international. Had Caicedo, a striker, joined them then that problem would have been solved.

However, the stumbling block was the value put on Caicedo in the deal, and when an agreement could not be reached the transfer was abandoned - at least until the end of the season.

City have also rejected an £8m bid for young midfielder Michael Johnson from Newcastle, who also saw another similar-sized bid for another unnamed player rejected.

transfer talk: manchester city

FIRST POSTED FEBRUARY 2, 2009