Steve Gallen drops Millwall FC transfer update as Romain Esse to Crystal Palace talk gathers pace | OneFootball

The Lions are set to resist any potential approaches for their star men

Millwall director of football Steve Gallen has insisted that the Lions do not want to sell any of their players in January, let alone their star men, amid interest from Crystal Palace in their star youngster Romain Esse.

Neil Harris's side have defied many expectations so far this term, and currently sit 10th in the second tier on a run of nine games without a loss, but recent developments around the future of attacking starlet Esse will have thrown their January window into doubt before it has even begun.

The young winger has been a hit at The Den this season, with four goals and an assist in 19 games in all competitions, and performances that have seemimgly attracted Premier League suitors, including Crystal Palace, who are pursuing a buy-to-loan deal for the 19-year-old, according to Standard Sport.

Losing Esse in the new year, as well as any more of Harris' key men, would be a real blow to Millwall, but director of football Gallen's latest quotes have the feel of a club that is not going to let that happen very easily.

Gallen is relatively new in his role, after taking over as director of football at The Den in May, and he has made his stance very clear about the club selling the likes of Esse in January, as Harris looks to continue his side's good form into the new year and beyond.

“We don’t want to sell anybody in January,” Gallen told Millwall TV.

“There’s nobody in the football club saying we need to make a sale.

"We want to keep our good players, but we also realise if they are doing well that there was a lot of interest after the Leeds and Burnley games in our players.

“It’s great. I get a scouting list sent to me after every game. I’m tracking who is coming to watch us.

"I want the stand full of European clubs and Premier League clubs coming to watch our players. There are quite a few coming and that is good for our football club.

“We realise eventually we will sell one or two players and then replace them with one or two to try and make us sustainable. But we also want to win football matches and be up around the top of the league.

"No one more than me wants to be winning games and be up there challenging.”

Millwall will face a tough battle to keep Romain Esse in January

Esse has developed into one of Millwall's most important players over the last 12 months, and the Lions face a battle to keep hold of him in the new year after new claims from Standard Sport that Palace want to buy him in January, then let him spend the remainder of the season with Millwall.

Millwall did not enjoy a great start to the new season, but their form has improved in recent months to see them into the top half as it stands, with thanks, in part, to Esse's standout showings from the right side of attack, with him becoming a regular starter under Harris this season.

Interest in Palace is nothing new after initial reports from Alan Nixon in September revealed that the Eagles were tracking the 19-year-old, yet their poor start to the new Premier League campaign and his impressive performances looked to have changed his status from a long-term project to a January target.

It remains to be seen whether he will make the move across the capital to the Premier League, but Millwall are clearly set to stand firm in the way of any potential exit, and will likely need a sizable figure to be offered by Palace to think about a sale.