Sunderland have rejected a bid from Cardiff for Michael Chopra.
Bluebirds boss Dave Jones, who sold Chopra for £5m last summer, has a striker crisis at Ninian Park and made an approach to re-sign Chopra on loan.
Chopra scored Sunderland's winner at Aston Villa on Saturday and boss Roy Keane insisted he is "going nowhere".
Keane said: "How close was Chopra to going back to Cardiff? I can tell you it wasn't speculation. I admire Dave Jones for chancing his arm."
Chopra's late winner at Villa Park was his first goal in open play since the first week of the season and earned Premiership strugglers Sunderland their first away victory of the season.
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The former Newcastle United trainee was signed by Jones for £500,000 in the summer of 2006 and scored 22 goals in his impressive one season in South Wales.
Jones, whose team are preparing for their first FA Cup semi-final for 81 years, is desperate for striking reinforcements with three of his attackers out.
Robbie Fowler has been out since Christmas with a knee injury and the former Liverpool goal hero underwent surgery with world-renowned knee expert Dr Richard Steadman in America.
Cardiff's other big-name frontman, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, is in the middle of a three-match ban following his dismissal at Colchester.
Northern Ireland international Warren Feeney has also been out since Christmas so Jones sent an SOS to Sunderland to see if Chopra could bolster Cardiff's outside hopes of making the Championship play-offs.
"Dave fancied his chances of getting Michael back, " said Keane. "There is nothing wrong with that.
"David got a very polite no from me - just like he was very helpful to me when I was trying to buy Chopra last summer.
"We know if we create chances, Michael will score.
"There is no doubt about that but obviously we've not been creating enough and in defence of him, I've been playing him out of position at wide right.
"Maybe the criticism against Michael has been slightly unfair but everyone, myself and the staff, are delighted with him."
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