Newcastle United midfielder Cheick Tiote insisted he has no plans to leave the club in the summer, while Aston Villa have confirmed they are in talks over a move for Aalborg BK forward Nicklas Helenius.
Tiote was underwhelming last season, and like the rest of his team failed to live up to the expectations from the 2011-12 campaign.
However, the defensive midfielder has still caught the eyes of a few clubs around Europe, with Lokomotiv Moscow in particular reportedly keen on securing Tiote's signature in the summer.
However, Tiote has no doubts his future lies at St James' Park.
"I will be a Newcastle player next season," Tiote told the Newcastle Chronicle.
"I want to play here for many years to come. I have a contract here and I am looking forward already to next season."
The Ivory Coast international acknowledged the fact that Newcastle had underperformed last season, but believes the players and manager Alan Pardew are capable of turning things around.
"When you do well, you are the best manager and the best players," he added. "When the team struggles, you are criticised. That's football.
"The manager and the players understand this. We have to believe in him and stay together.
"I think he is a very good manager, and I think next season will be different.
"The most important thing is to start next season well. I think we can again challenge for Europe.
"Last season was really difficult for us. We didn't have a massive squad, and we played in Europe as well as the Premier League.
"I think next season is going to be much better. I'm just thinking about being ready for next season. I have a good opportunity."
Meanwhile, Villa have confirmed they are closing in on 22-year-old striker Helenius. "The club expects to conclude the deal, subject to a medical and personal terms, in the next 10 days," a statement on their official website read.
Villa have already secured the futures of Andreas Weimann and Nathan Baker, who signed new deals with the club, and Paul Lambert has continued his preference for youth by zeroing in on Danish international Helenius, who scored 16 goals for Aalborg last season and is highly thought of in his country.
