Manuel Pellegrini has expressed his desire for Edin Dzeko to remain at Manchester City beyond the January transfer window.

The Bosnian has been linked with a move away from the Etihad next month ahead of his country's debut World Cup campaign in the summer, having fallen behind Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo in the striking pecking order.

"There was never any chance of Dzeko going in January," Pellegrini told the media. "He is a very important player for the team.

"If you look at the last month I think Dzeko was one of the players that played the most minutes in December. He has continued to a very important player for us. Always a player wants to play every game but it is impossible with the amount of games that we have to play.

"I think he is happy here. He is an important striker and could have a lot of offers from other clubs but there is never a chance of him leaving."

Dzeko joined City from Wolfsburg for £27m in 2011.