Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini denied on Wednesday that his club had approached Wayne Rooney in a bid to sign the striker from cross-town rival Manchester United.
Big-spending City was one of the teams heavily linked to speculation about Rooney, who has told United manager Alex Ferguson he does not want to extend his contract at Old Trafford beyond 2012.
Mancini said City hasn't spoken to the Englad international and believes the 24-year-old Rooney won't go anywhere.
"Rooney is a great player but I think he'll stay at United," said Mancini. "He's a good player, he's an important player for United.
"He is a United player. It's not correct to speak about that situation. I have respect for him, for Ferguson, for United. I want to speak only about my players."
Chelsea and Real Madrid have already said they would be interested in signing Rooney if he carried out his threat to leave United, as Europe's major clubs weigh up bids in the January transfer window.
City, which is owned by Abu Dhabi billionaire Sheikh Mansour, would be one of the few clubs who could afford to pay the wages Rooney may demand.
Mansour has spent more than 300 million pounds ($475 million) on players, including Carlos Tevez, who left United in 2009 after his contract ran out to join City. Tevez had a season earlier teamed up with Rooney to win the Champions League with United in 2008.
Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said on Tuesday "everybody will be interested" if United was willing to sell Rooney before his transfer value starts to plummet as the end of his contract approaches.
"If at the end of the day Man United decide that he is to leave, then give me a call," said Mourinho.
If Rooney was to favor a move to Madrid, he would link up again with Cristiano Ronaldo, who struck up a superb partnership with the England striker at Old Trafford before leaving for the Spanish giants for 80 million pounds in June 2009.
"But I believe he belongs to Man United, he belongs to Man United fans, he belongs to Old Trafford. I believe he is going to stay," Mourinho added.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Monday that his club would be keen to move for Rooney if the striker was on the market.
Spanish champion and three-time European Cup winner Barcelona was also widely reported as a potential bidder for Rooney.
"He is one of the greatest players in the world as there are very few players with his qualities," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was quoted as telling The Sun newspaper. "He's a player I very much admire."
Sections of the British press said on Wednesday that money was the key factor behind Rooney's decision to walk away from United, despite Ferguson's claim that the club was willing to offer "the best terms possible for any player in the country."
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