NEWCASTLE UNITED have ended their pursuit of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, with Chelsea boss Antonio Conte having ruled out any possibility of sending the midfielder out on loan this month.

Magpies manager Rafael Benitez has been pursuing a number of midfield targets since the transfer window reopened, with the absence of the suspended Jonjo Shelvey having exposed a lack of options in the central areas.

Loftus-Cheek was one of his leading targets, but having barely featured at the Stamford Bridge in the first half of the season, the 20-year-old has become a more prominent presence in the last few weeks.

He was in the starting line-up for last weekend's FA Cup win over Peterborough, and Conte envisages continuing to use him in that competition.

As a result, the Italian will reject all loan offers during the current transfer window.

Conte said: "Ruben is an important player for Chelsea. He must know this. We trust a lot on him.

"For this reason it’s important to work a lot and to take satisfaction with our team.

"No, No. Absolutely (he’s not leaving). I don’t want this. For Ruben I don’t want this.

"He knows this and the club knows this. I want him to stay because he’s ready to play for the first team. If he shows me he wants to play, he knows that he plays."