KARL Robinson insists Jack Stevens is staying put amid Premier League interest in the goalkeeper.

Aston Villa have their eye on the Oxford United stopper, who caught the attention of several higher-division clubs for his displays last season.

Robinson also suggested the U’s are closing in on two players and talks are understood to be progressing well in both cases.

Losing Stevens would be a major blow, particularly after the departures of Rob Atkinson and Josh Ruffels in the last two months.

But Robinson struck a defiant tone when asked about the 23-year-old – and suggested it was not the first time United have rebuffed serious interest in one of their players this summer.

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“He’s not going,” the U’s head coach said.

“There’s a price tag on our players and Jack appreciates that.

“It’s fantastic for him, but it’s also fantastic we said no.

“It’s not the only bid we’ve said no to.

“Just because people don’t read it doesn’t mean we haven’t turned away bids for some other players as well.

“We got what we wanted out of the Rob Atkinson deal and we’re still trying to fill that void.

“The club conducts itself very well in the transfer window, coming in and going out.”

United are in a strong bargaining position with Stevens, who only signed a new three-year deal in February.

The academy graduate replaced Simon Eastwood as first-choice last December and kept four clean sheets in his opening five games.

The impressive performances continued as Stevens helped United climb from the Sky Bet League One relegation zone into the play-offs.

One higher-division club showed serious interest in Stevens in January, although a deal did not materialise.

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United have signed Marcus McGuane, Ryan Williams, Billy Bodin and Steve Seddon this summer, but they are still seeking cover at centre back and left back following the exits of Atkinson and Ruffels.

In January, the U’s turned down a bid of more than £500,000 for midfielder Cameron Brannagan from a Sky Bet Championship club, believed to be Millwall.

Robinson has reiterated that United must hold on to their best players to challenge at the top of League One again this season, with the division looking as competitive as ever.

He said in April: “If you look at the top teams, there’s no turnover of players, they’ve only got better.

“That’s a big learning curve for us.

“Unless the transfer fee becomes something we have no control over, we’ve got to be really brave in keeping all of these players moving forward.”