Alessio’s Kilmarnock side have also been linked with the Celtic defender Jack Hendry this week.
Angelo Alessio has insisted that Niko Hamalainen’s arrival does not mean Greg Taylor will be sold to Celtic or anyone else.
Celtic have been strongly linked with a move for Taylor after Kieran Tierney followed fellow left-backs Emilio Izaguirre and Daniel Church out of Parkhead.
Alessio, who is the Scot’s manager at Kilmarnock, had already played down talk of him leaving.
But the capture of Hamalainen, who plays in Taylor’s position, on a season-long loan from Queens Park Rangers had again raised doubts over the latter player’s future.
Speaking to The Evening Express earlier, however, Alessio said: “I want two players for every position. We have Greg Taylor at left-back and now we have Hamalainen.
“We want to keep our best players and for this reason the situation with Celtic and Greg are just rumours.
“There are 10 or 11 days left of the market but we know our situation with Greg Taylor. It’s only rumours.
“I don’t know (what it will take for us to sell him) but I’ve spoken a lot of times about this situation with the board and Billy Bowie. We agree that we want to keep our best players. It’s an easy situation.
“Greg is a good player in my team and I don’t want to think about him going away.
“We’re pleased to have Niko here. He’s young and athletic and we believe he can make a good addition.”
Kilmarnock have also been linked with one of Celtic’s defenders Jack Henry.
But when pressed on his alleged interest in Hendry, Alessio remained coy, telling the same publication: “At the moment we’re having a lot of conversations and we want to add new players this week or next.
“There are a lot of situations but at this moment only conversations.
“We need to complete the squad with another centre-back as we only have three.”
Kilmarnock have already said to have rejected a £500,000 offer from Nurnberg for Taylor, who has two years left on his Rugby Park contract.
Kilmarnock, Celtic or neither? Where will Taylor be playing post-deadline?
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