Sunderland have not made a bid for André Ayew, Sam Allardyce has confirmed.
Speaking to the press this morning ahead of the Black Cats' upcoming clash with Manchester City, the manager took the opportunity to dismiss rumours linking the Black Cats to Ayew.
Speculation has been growing rapidly surrounding a move for the Swansea City man, but Allardyce was quick to dub the rumours as nothing more than that, saying that the media have created them.
No offer tabled
This week, reports emerged saying that Sunderland had offered £10 million plus Fabio Borini for Ayew. This followed suggestions that the Black Cats had seen a bid of just £10 million turned down as they pursue a signing who can add more goals to their survival bid.
However, speaking today, Allardyce confirmed that there has been "no contact" between the two clubs, nor have the Wearsiders "made an offer" for the player.
Ayew's performance against Sunderland earlier this month was one of few bright spots in the game from a Swansea perspective, the Welsh outfit crashing to a 4-2 defeat, but that does not seem to have persuaded the former Newcastle United boss that he needs him on his side.
Would Swansea sell?
Furthermore, another contributing factor to the move not materialising is simply that Swansea are highly unlikely to sell their star player when they are in such a dangerous position in the league.
The Swans are going to need Ayew's star quality to help drag them out of the relegation scrap, so why would they sell?
Allardyce clearly sees this point, saying, "I'm not certain Swansea would want to sell him" - with the situation similar to when Jermain Defoe was speculated to be moving on from Sunderland.
Selling to a direct rival in the scrap for survival would be a ridiculous move too, even if that is what some fans believe happened when Jonjo Shelvey was allowed to go to Newcastle.
Nonetheless, there appears to be no sign of such a transfer happening here: "I think that's a little bit of speculation on media behalf," Allardyce concluded.
