Southampton's Jay Rodriguez and Morgan Schneiderlin 'not for sale'

Schneiderlin (left) and Rodriguez were both linked with moves to Tottenham

Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and striker Jay Rodriguez will not be sold this summer, according to chairman Ralph Krueger.

The pair have been linked with moves to Tottenham, now managed by ex-Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Southampton have already sold five players this summer.

"Jay Rodriguez and Morgan Schneiderlin will be in our line-up as we move into next season," Krueger told BBC Radio Solent. "They will not be sold."

Schneiderlin later wrote on Twitter: "6 years of an amazing journey #saintsfc DESTROYED in 1 hour !!!"

Rickie Lambert, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Calum Chambers have all left the club this summer, despite Krueger previously saying Saints would not sell their key players.

He admitted to meeting officials from Tottenham last week, but said it was unrelated to the potential departures of Rodriguez, 25, and France international Schneiderlin, 24.

Rodriguez, who has been at St Mary's since joining from hometown club Burnley in 2012 for a fee of about £7m, is currently sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Schneiderlin joined Southampton from Strasbourg in 2008 and played a key role in their rise from League One to the top flight.

The midfielder played for France at this summer's World Cup in Brazil and has attracted interest from Arsenal, but is understood to favour a move to Spurs.

"We see them as a part of our core group of players," added Krueger. "Those stories being passed around are quite simply false.

"I did meet Spurs officials in Toronto but not a word was exchanged about players of Southampton."

Rickie Lambert, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Calum Chambers have all left the club this summer

Krueger denied that owner Katharina Liebherr was looking to sell the club or recoup her family's investment, adding that the money they have received for the five players leaving St Mary's will be invested back into the squad.

Southampton's chairman also said that new manager Ronald Koeman was "100% involved in every single decision we are making" and apologised to supporters for a lack of communication over the past few weeks.

"We did not put any players up for sale," he added. "To get the best deal we needed to stay silent. It was not in our style to leak things out."

He accused the departed players of wanting to take a "shortcut to Champions League football" and said the club are close to adding to their squad, having already signed Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle this summer.

"Those players were wanting to have it immediately," he said. "Once you end up with a group with that type of attitude you need to do what is best for the club. We did not make any decision on financial grounds."

The former NHL ice hockey chief also said that Southampton's executive director Les Reed was doing an "outstanding job", despite criticism from supporters.

"I do not know if there are many other people that work with so much character and integrity on a daily basis," he said. "He embodies the type of club we want to be.

"He does nothing but tell the truth. If people want to hear fairytales they are at the wrong club.

"We tell the truth and Les Reed has done an outstanding job in getting us the best deals for the players leaving the club, as he is getting the best possible deals for targets coming into the club."