SOUGHT after Cherries star Callum Wilson admitted he had been flattered by recent transfer speculation but also insisted he was a “loyal person”.

Wilson and team-mate Matt Ritchie were this week the subject of a failed £20million bid from Cherries’ Premier League rivals West Ham.

Boss Eddie Howe, who bought the players for a combined initial fee of £2.5m, confirmed the offer had been rejected and was adamant Cherries had no plans to sell.

Wilson was linked with a host of clubs last summer after shooting to prominence by spearheading Cherries’ promotion when he netted 23 goals in all competitions.

But the striker, who also earned recognition with England under-21s, committed his future to the club by penning a lucrative four-year contract.

Wilson continued his impressive form into Cherries’ maiden campaign in the Premier League, notching five goals in their first six games, including a hat-trick in a 4-3 win at West Ham in August.

But he suffered a serious knee injury at Stoke in September and spent six months on the sidelines before returning to feature in the final six games of the season.

Following news of West Ham’s interest, the Daily Mail linked Wilson with Tottenham, suggesting Spurs could be willing to use midfielder Ryan Mason as a make-weight in any potential deal.

Wilson, who is also said to be a target for Liverpool, was asked by the Daily Echo whether he felt he had owed Cherries for helping him through his rehabilitation.

The 24-year-old said: “I am a loyal person. I am grateful to Bournemouth for giving me the opportunity to play at a high level in the Championship.

“We had a good season last year and got promoted and then I got my chance to play in the Premier League. I want to maintain that for as long as possible.”

And asked whether he had been surprised to have been the subject of transfer talk so soon after his injury, Wilson replied: “Because I had been out for six months, I didn't take much notice of it.

“I had just come back from injury and then, all of a sudden, I was being linked with clubs. It was a bit unrealistic. You take confidence from your name being linked with big clubs.”

Both Wilson and Ritchie started as Cherries rounded off their maiden campaign in the top flight with a 3-1 defeat at Manchester United on Tuesday.

Confirming West Ham’s bid, Howe said: “The disappointing thing from my perspective is why it came in the day before a game. It was our last game of the season and they had all summer to bid for our players. I don’t understand that.

“They are two players in the squad who were due to play and there was a lot of speculation around their futures. I thought that was bizarre. The bid was rejected and we have no intention to sell.”

Howe added: “We don’t need to sell. We have a really ambitious owner and want to try to improve our squad, not weaken it. I think that is the clear message from us.

“We are trying desperately to move this team forward and are looking at it the other way. We want to bring in new recruits to strengthen what is already a good group. That is the summer we hope to have.”