Sam Allardyce has insisted that he has not held talks with Everton over their managerial vacancy.
The former England, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers boss was installed as one of the favourites for the role following Ronald Koeman's sacking last month, with some reports suggesting that he had already held talks with Toffees shareholder Farhad Moshiri over a short-term deal.
The Everton board are rumoured to be split over hiring the 63-year-old, however, with Moshiri said to be instead plotting an ambitious move for Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone.
Earlier this week Allardyce denied that he had held talks with the club and reiterated his stance during an appearance on talkSPORT this morning.
"It's just not true. I wouldn't be sat here if Everton were talking about a contract with me. I would be negotiating," he said. "I was in Scotland for the last two days at St Andrews and I flew down and I'm here today [in London]. If that was true I would be talking about a contract with Everton and whether I could come to an agreement.
"There have been no contracts talks with Everton in any way, shape or form and what I would or wouldn't accept is complete and utter nonsense.
"Everton is a fantastic football club with huge history and tradition. It's got its difficulties at the moment and what it's got planned in the future has to go on hold at the moment to focus on what is really needed at this moment in time and that is to get Everton up that league and then talk about the bright future that's ahead in the next season - or whenever it might be and which direction do they go in.
"There's a huge amount of planning to be done, I feel, for the right manager that sets the right stall out about the future of Everton and not just the present day. But the present day is the most important now at this moment in time. But it's got a bright future."
Allardyce has been out of work since quitting Crystal Palace in May.
Neil Wilkes
