Santos vice president Odílio Rodríguez has dismissed reports in The Sun that the Brazilian side are close to agreeing a deal for Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda.
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Malouda, 32, has been linked with the 2011 Copa Libertadores winners for some time and since the departure of playmaker Ganso, the rumours have once more gathered pace.
Rodríguez, whilst openly admitting that they made contact with the French Guiana born winger in the summer, insists that the Chelsea man is no longer a target for the club as they start to plan for the 2013 season.
“We spoke to the player in the summer, but now he is not in our plans. We are not negotiating with Malouda, we have other priorities in the transfer market,” Odílio Rodríguez told Terra. “We know that his is a great player, but we haven’t made an offer.”
Malouda, like Seedorf before him, shares many links to Brazil through marriage and his South American upbringing and has previously spoken of a desire to play in the country before retirement.
