Wednesday Mar 19 2008 11:24
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has categorically denied claims from FC Porto that they have made a bid for right-back Jose Bosingwa.
Earlier in the week, the president of the Portuguese club, Pinto da Costa, claimed that Villa had been unsuccessful in an approach for the 25-year-old international defender.
However, O'Neill is adamant that he has no made no bid for a player, who has also been linked with a move to Manchester United.
"We have made no bid whatsoever. It's not true," he told the club's official website.
"That doesn't mean we're not interested in players. I know this story is definitely a regurgitation, because no-one from Villa has spoken to anyone from Porto in the last nine months.
"This is a categorical denial from me. It's as simple as that because we haven't spoken to anyone."
On Monday Da Costa had claimed: "We are not thinking about losing any of our players next season.
"In the past year, Aston Villa revealed themselves to be an interested party, but we did not accept the proposal. Jose is another of the players we intend to keep."
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