Aston Villa chairman Tony Xia has claimed to have rejected a £25m offer for France under-21 defender Jordan Amavi and insists the player is not for sale.

Reports in France on Tuesday stated that Marseille are looking to sign the left-back as part of new owner Frank McCourt’s recruitment drive, with La Provence claiming sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta is in talks with the player’s representatives over a potential move.

Liverpool and Everton have also been linked with a move for the 22-year-old, who has made 17 appearances for Villa in the Championship this season after recovering from a serious knee injury sustained on international duty in November 2015 that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

But responding on Twitter to the reported €10m (£8.5m) bid from Marseille, Xia was adamant Amavi will not be leaving Villa Park.

“Don’t bother reading this,” he wrote. “I can tell we have rejected an offer of £25m for @JordanAmavi. He will grow bigger at @AVFCOfficial!”

Don't bother reading this. I can tell we have rejected an offer of £25M for @@JordanAmavi He will grow bigger at @AVFCOfficial ! https://t.co/QahCQ1vOgA — Dr. Tony Xia (@Dr_TonyXia) December 27, 2016

Villa paid around £9m to sign Amavi from Nice last summer and his current deal expires in 2020.

Xia also responded to speculation that Jordan Veretout could be on his way to Juventus. The French midfielder is on loan at St Etienne but has been offered to the Italian champions, according to reports. Xia said: “We will accept this Jordan leaving as he didn’t feel happy at Villa.”

The Villa manager Steve Bruce is in the market for several new recruits as they chase an instant return to the Premier League, with Brentford’s Alan Judge among those being considered. The Republic of Ireland international has yet to return from a broken leg but could be available for a cut-price fee as his contract expires in the summer.