“There’s not a grain of truth in the story that we’ve put in an offer for the player and I don’t know where it is coming from,” O’Neill told the club’s official website.

“I don’t even know who the player’s agent is.

“I wouldn’t normally comment but there have been so many stories claiming this as fact and people have been quoted.

“They’re completely wide of the mark. So I felt I had to put the record straight.”