Hampshire director of cricket Giles White has admitted that they did consider a bid to bring Kevin Pietersen back to the county.
The South African-born batsman has pledged to do what he can to try to regain a place in the England team, and has re-signed for Surrey for this summer.
However, White insists that a possible move for Pietersen was discussed prior to that announcement.
White is quoted by The News as saying: "There is an obvious link with Hampshire, having played here before.
"We're a club that would certainly look at it and we discussed it internally, but really we had set ourselves up for the season with a squad of batsmen and some good youngsters we wanted to keep going with.
"I don't think it was the right fit for us. We also knew if Surrey came in for him, they would have always been his preference because of his recent association with them and where he lives."
Pietersen, who has played in 104 Tests for England, represented Hampshire between 2005 and 2010.
Chris O'Keefe
