Rafael Benitez denies Manchester City contact

Napoli manager Rafael Benitez has played down reports linking him with Manchester City by claiming that he has not had any contact with the Premier League champions.

It was rumoured that City want to replace Manuel Pellegrini with the former Liverpool boss at the end of the season.

Benitez is out of contract in the summer, but the 55-year-old insists that a deal has not been made with the Blues.

When asked if he had rejected a new deal with Napoli in order to move to the Etihad Stadium, he told reporters: "I haven't said no to Napoli. I haven't had any contact with Manchester City. I'm a professional, I'll see what happens, but I have to talk to the club."

The Spaniard took charge at the Stadio San Paolo in 2013 following a spell as Chelsea interim manager.