West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has dismissed claims that the club could be sold to Red Bull as false.
A report in The Sun on Monday said that the energy drinks giant - which owns RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and clubs in New York and Brazil - are interested in a takeover of the London club in a £200million deal.
Sullivan has confirmed that there was an initial approach from prospective buyers in August, but says that there are no plans to sell the club that he and David Gold assumed joint-control of in 2010.
He did, however, suggest that an enquiry from "somebody like the king of Saudi Arabia" could convince them to sell in future.
"The story that appeared in The Sun on Boxing Day morning regarding the possible sale of the club to Red Bull is six months out of date," he said via the club's official website.
"We did have a tentative approach to buy the club for £650m from external investors in August this year, but I want to reiterate that we, the current owners, have NO DESIRE to sell the club unless it is to somebody like the king of Saudi Arabia who can take it to a level we cannot ourselves hope to reach."
West Ham won 4-1 away to Swansea City on Monday to move eight points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
