Ralph Hasenhuttl has admitted that Danny Ings' contract situation is "not perfect" for the player or Southampton.
Earlier this month, BBC Sport reported that the former Liverpool striker had turned down a contract extension from the Saints, with just under 12 months remaining on his existing deal at St. Mary's.
Ings reportedly wants to test himself at a higher level and perhaps play in European competition and Tottenham have been linked with a move for the 28-year-old centre-forward.
According to the Telegraph, Spurs have made Ings their 'priority' signing and want him to play alongside Harry Kane in a new-look attack for recently appointed manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Hasenhuttl, though, seems determined to keep Ings down on the south coast for the time being despite the time ticking on his contract with the Premier League club.
"We need this player, we want him to play for us," the Saints boss explained to BBC Radio Solent.
"But I think it's never helpful to go into the last season with one year left - this is what I think he should know.
"Messages like he doesn't accept our contract, he doesn't want to extend his contract, doesn't help nobody - not him, not us. I don't know who sent these messages, it's not coming from our side, definitely not.
"We have no interest in blaming the player or finding that he's not feeling good here at this club, no interest in not helping perform the best he can for us. It's his position and if it's like this, it would be a pity.
"He's our player for another year, we paid a lot of money for him. When we brought him here, we invested a lot to get him to the highest level and how he is at the moment.
We stuck with him with all these injuries he had, gave him the time to recover, gave him the time to perform.
"There's no reason to sell him, but it's always a risk for the player when you go into your final year without a contract.
That's why it's never good for nobody, not for us, not for him, because you never know what can happen in football - injuries can happen, which nobody wants.
"People on our team are telling him what to do, we have our opinions about what we want him to do.
"He's our player and we'd love him to be here, but one thing is also clear - when he is not extending his contract, that it is not a perfect situation for him, it's not a perfect situation for us."
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