MORTON chairman Douglas Rae has denied strong rumours coming out of the City of Discovery that Dundee United are about to sign Jim McAlister.

He said yesterday afternoon: 'I know nothing about that. There is no chance of him going unless the price is right.

'He"s been here since 2004 and they"re not just coming along and lifting him. Motherwell came to us a while back with an offer of £25,000 and we turned it down flat. Then they increased it to £30,000 but there was no chance of him going for that.

'I have an agreement with Jim and his dad that if we get a serious offer we will tell them.

'Quite a few managers fly kites over things like this to get the player interested, then they come in later, but there"s been absolutely no contact between Dundee United and ourselves.' McAlister, who has another year left on his contract, has been linked in recent years with other clubs who have had him watched.