Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers has told Stephen Dobbie he will not be allowed to leave on loan despite interest from Middlesbrough.
Dobbie is keen to leave the Liberty Stadium to get some games under his belt and Boro along with Blackpool and Birmingham have all been linked with a swoop for the midfielder.
Dobbie was a key figure in Swansea's promotion success but has been left out of their matchday squads recently and has not played at all in 2012, but Rodgers has insisted he cannot afford to let the 29-year-old leave.
The news will not go down well with the player but Rodgers says he has got to do whatever is best for Swansea and he does not want to leave himself short.
"I have got empathy for Stephen. But I have to protect the club so none of the senior players will be going out. I have spoken to Stephen to explain the situation and I'm sure he has been frustrated not to make the squads," he said.
"But the players are well paid, so it's just unlucky for them and he has to get on with it.
"I know Stephen wants to play games. The great thing about him is that he is not driven by money - he is purely driven by playing football.
"But ultimately I have got to think about what happens at Swansea City. Look at what happened last week - all of a sudden we lost two players in a couple of days to injury in Joe Allen and Kemy Agustien.
"We could well lose more players over a longer period and, when that happens, I need players at Swansea who I can call on."