Sam Allardyce appears to have ruled himself out of the running to take over at Cardiff City.
Allardyce had overtaken Neil Warnock over the last few days to become the bookies' hot favourite to take the job in the capital, having been out of work since leaving West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2021.
However, he insists he has not received any contact from the Bluebirds over the vacancy.
Quizzed on the speculation on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, he said: "I keep getting these calls. I'm not going to Cardiff and I haven't been approached by Cardiff to even have a conversation with them.
"So, for the first time and everyone can listen to this and put that right - no, I'm not going down to Wales and I'm staying here in the north-west."
Allardyce could make a shock return to Everton instead, after reportedly holding talks with the club over their own vacant manager's job.
The former England boss previously spent six months in charge at Goodison Park during the 2017/18 season and is said to still be highly regarded by senior club officials. The Daily Mail report Everton have held talks with Allardyce, as they seek a replacement for Frank Lampard.
The report states that Everton fear first choice replacement Marcelo Bielsa will turn them down due to doubts he has over taking on the job.
Allardyce added: "If I was going to Everton, they would have already rang me.
"I know Farhad Moshiri and have a lot of respect for him and the money he has found for Everton. They have not invested like Newcastle have invested. They have invested in players who haven't delivered through various different managers.
"I only bought two when I was there, but I still hold up to my achievement, because it was the best, from 16th, 17th to eighth in 22 matches. So, what they need is someone who can go in and get the team functioning correctly straight away."
Cardiff don't appear any closer to appointing a successor to Mark Hudson, who was sacked following the 1-1 draw with Wigan Athletic, and it remains to be seen where they will turn over the coming days.
Former West Brom boss Valerien Ismael and ex-Nottingham Forest manager Sabri Lamouchi are among the names in the frame.. But with the the end of the winter transfer window just around the corner, and with Cardiff firmly staring down the barrel of a relegation battle, there appears to be little sign of an imminent breakthrough.
The Bluebirds continue their Championship campaign with a trip to Luton Town on Tuesday night, with interim boss Dean Whitehead looking increasingly likely to take charge.
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