The list of interested candidates for Wayne Rooney has come down by one after Bayern Munich insisted they have no plans to make a bid in the summer transfer window for the Manchester United forward.
Rooney is looking to leave United in the summer, with Sir Alex Ferguson confirming the 27-year-old had asked for a move away from Old Trafford.
The forward has been linked with several clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal and Paris Saint Germain.
Bayern were thought to be one of the teams interested in signing Rooney, who has been valued at around £25-30 million ($38-46 million).
However, the German champions, who will play in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund in a little over a week, refuted the claims, saying they have never considered signing the striker.
"I don't know what Rooney would bring to the Bundesliga," Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer said. "I can't answer that.
"I can answer that we have great respect for Wayne Rooney but there has been no contact with him.
"There is no contact and he's not on the agenda. No, no. Absolutely not."
Bayern have been heavily linked with a move Robert Lewandowski in the striking department with several reports suggesting a deal for the Polish international to move from Dortmund in the summer was already in place.
Manchester United have also shown quite a bit of interest in Lewandowski, so it will be interesting to see how Bayern might react if the 24-year-old chooses to sign for United over Bayern.
If Lewandowski slips out of Bayern's hands, the German club might be tempted to make a move for Rooney, although there will certainly be several other targets lined up by incoming manager Pep Guardiola.
However, it is unlikely that Bayern will be ready to match Rooney's current salary of around £250,000 a week ($380,000), with the striker reportedly unwilling to make a sacrifice on his wages.
Chelsea look like the most likely candidates, but United will not want to sell to a direct rival in the Premier League.
There is also a possibility, which is looking increasingly likely as time wears on, that Rooney will perform a u-turn and commit his immediate future to the English Premier League champions.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the fans react to that particular situation with sections of the crowd booing the England international when he came up to take his Premier League winners' medal after their win over Swansea at Old Trafford.
