Chelsea have poured cold water on speculation linking the club with Italian coach Marcello Lippi.
Blues chief Jose Mourinho's future has been a hot topic of debate in recent weeks, as reports have suggested his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich has reached breaking point.
Mourinho said recently that he intended to honour his contract which runs until 2010, but this has not stopped the rumour mill from cranking up a gear.
And Lippi added fuel to the fire by claiming his name figured prominently on Chelsea's list of candidates to succeed Mourinho in the summer.
The Blues, though, have responded by insisting they are not seeking out a replacement for their Portuguese coach and have not been in contact with the Italian.
"Following further media speculation regarding the position of Chelsea Football Club manager and comments allegedly attributed to Marcello Lippi, the club would like to make clear that no list of candidates has been drawn up to replace Jose Mourinho," read a statement on the club's website.
"Nobody from Chelsea FC has spoken to Mr Lippi or his representatives or indeed anyone regarding the manager's job.
"As previously stated, Jose Mourinho has a contract until 2010, he has the support of everybody at Chelsea and he has said he wants to stay for the time of his contract."