The prospect of Celtic or Rangers being allowed to join the English elite was today dismissed as "not on the cards" by the Premiership.
Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond had earlier claimed talks were already underway for the Old Firm to leave the Scottish Premier League for a new life south of the border.
He said: "This will happen inevitably. The ball has already been set rolling and there have been preliminary discussions between the chairmen of a number of clubs about it."
But his words received no encouragement from Premiership spokesman Philip French who swiftly dismissed the idea.
He said: "It is not on the cards. There are absolutely no plans for either Rangers or Celtic to join the Premier League."
That the Old Firm are actively seeking to leave the current Scottish set-up is no secret.
Both clubs spent much of last season pleading with UEFA to be allowed to create an 'Atlantic League', which also went by a 'EuroLeague' tag, for so-called big clubs in smaller countries.
The leading lights in Holland, Portugal, Belgium and Scandanavia all made the plea but it fell on deaf ears at UEFA headquarters.
PA
