Kawasaki denies Rossi-bid for 2009

Rossi ... rumoured to be in talks with Kawasaki

MOTOGP rumours are rife right now that Kawasaki is playing a big-money bid for Valentino Rossi to ride the all-green bikes in 2009 - even though the Team Green boss is trying to stop the story in its tracks.

Michael Bartholemy, Kawasaki team boss is playing down the suggestions, blaming onverly-enthusiastic media for the buzz around where Rossi goes next.

With his Yamaha contract ending this year the Gazzetta dello Sport Italian newspaper ran quotes it attributed to Bartholemy on Saturday that Kawasaki were trying to hire the Italian rider.

The paper claimed Bartholemy said: "We are interested in Valentino, even though I've never spoken either to him or his manager. But I'd like to and soon, because this would be the perfect time."

But the team boss is denying the story, saying that the team has no
intention of going after The Doctor. "There was a story in an Italian magazine recently after a journalist came to me and asked me if we have any interest in Valentino," Bartholemy told the official MotoGP website.

"I said we would have to be stupid not to be interested because he is the rider in the world championship. But we have never spoken to him and there is no contact between Kawasaki and Valentino Rossi."

He added: "We look for riders who can get results. That's the most important thing, we are involved in MotoGP to get results, so we are looking for somebody for our future."