The Rebels have dismissed a suggestion that Will Skelton is headed to Melbourne with the club adamant there has been "no communication" about a move to Victoria.
Skelton's future has become a hot topic this week after it emerged that he was keen to make a World Cup comeback for the Wallabies after a career-best season with English club Saracens.
The 27-year-old was voted the Players' Player of the Year at the club's 2018-19 awards in a year where the side won the European Champions Cup and qualified for this weekend's Premiership final against Exeter.
To be eligible for the Wallabies the lock would have to sign a minimum two-year deal with an Australian Super Rugby franchise for 2020, though that might not necessarily mean he would be playing Super Rugby in 2020.
In fact, Skelton is believed to have already committed to Saracens for two more seasons, meaning he mightn't even be back playing in Australia with a new deal until late in the 2021 season or even the start of the 2022 season.
A report emerged on Thursday night suggesting that Skelton was poised to sign that kind of deal with the Rebels but the club has firmly rejected that claim.
While general manager of professional rugby Nick Ryan said the club didn't rule out considering Skelton if there was some interest from the 203cm giant, he said there had not been any approach from Rugby Australia or Skelton's manager Isaac Moses about a move to Melbourne.
"As it currently stands, we’ve had no communication or dialogue with Rugby Australia or Will’s representatives," Ryan said.
"Ultimately, the way the contracting process works, with a player of Willl’s calibre, Rugby Australia leads the negotiations and if and when those negotiations take hold, then the provinces become involved later on."
It wasn't until this week that anyone connected with Skelton voiced his interest in a World Cup spot, with Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall saying the mammoth second rower had expressed the desire to play in the quadrennial tournament.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has been in contact with Skelton but the lock had said earlier this month that he was committed to staying in England.
"I had some chats with Cheik at the start of the year and my manager has spoken to him a lot," Skelton said at the time.
"He was trying to get me back home and there were some (Super Rugby) offers but it is difficult because I've agreed to stay here.
"There's still a few bits and pieces to nut down but I am close to signing a new deal here.
"It was a massively difficult decision given the World Cup is this year but if the rules change in the future I'll always put my hand up to play for Australia."
Cheika is currently in Europe and though he had not initially planned to meet with Skelton, it is expected he will at some point.
The former Waratah falls well below the 60-Test threshold required to be picked from overseas, leading to some need for creativity should the Wallabies be keen to bring him back into the fold.
Already, Rugby Australia has attempted some different contract shapes to bring players home with halfback Nic White agreeing to a Rugby Australia deal but not having a Super Rugby home yet.
Last year, then 31-Test Wallaby Matt To'omua returned to Test rugby in August after agreeing to a deal with the Rebels starting in 2019.
To'omua played a final season in England with Leicester before arriving in Melbourne earlier this month to play the final four games of the regular season.
The Rebels have a handful of big fish they need to tie up before seriously looking at Skelton with Will Genia and Quade Cooper yet to decide on their futures beyond 2019.
Lock Adam Coleman will leave the club after this Super Rugby season but there are a host of players who are highly-rated behind him including Matt Philip, Luke Jones and Ross Haylett-Petty.
Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson also all but ruled out any current pursuit of Skelton earlier this week, saying he believed he was committed to Saracens.
