Ballack's not for sale Bayern boss insists

Speculation that Chelsea may have Michael Ballack in their sights has prompted Bayern Munich manager Uli Hoeness to insist the player's going nowhere.

"In no case is Ballack for sale," Hoeness told Saturday's Abendzeitung newspaper. "Ballack's agent Michael Becker has told me that no one's been in contact with him."

That last comment appears to be at odds with a report in Bild quoting Becker as saying that an English agent had indeed been in contact.

"It seems that Chelsea are very interested in him." Becker told Bild.

Hoeness said the rumours surrounding his World Cup runner-up were being propagated by a group of people who wanted to do Bayern Munich down.

"They (the rumours) can only come from certain people who are trying to divide us," he suggested.

And days after telling German television that Ballack wasn't playing well because he wasn't in good enough shape Hoeness insisted there was no rift between them.

"(I've got) very good relations with Ballack," he said. "There's no dispute! I play cards with him and we discuss football."

Ballack moved to the German champions in July last year after helping Bayer Leverkusen to the Champions League final, and runners-up spots in the both the Bundesliga and German Cup.

His contract with Bayern runs till 2006.