Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Kenny Jackett has admitted that he considers winger Bakary Sako to be a major part of his side, despite speculation mounting over his future.

With Sako's contract due to expire in the summer, Aston Villa have been linked with a cut-price bid, but Jackett has insisted that there are no plans for the Championship outfit to sell their top goalscorer.

The 52-year-old is quoted by the Express & Star as saying: "I don't think that we'd be looking at letting him go. We'd like to make sure he's part of things here going forward.

"If the right price is there, it has to be considered. But we'd need a very good offer. We're not trying to instigate anything. We'll deal with it if and when the phone rings.

"We've had no contact from Villa and we'd love to keep Sako because he's been a big part of what we've done here. We do value and rate him very highly, and as long as there's open dialogue between the two sides, I think he'll stay settled and focused."

Sako's seven goals this campaign have helped Wolves up to third position in the league standings.