Are the New York Red Bulls for sale? Marc de Grandpre says no...

BigAppleSoccer.com giveth and BigAppleSoccer.com taketh away.

Yesterday (January 7), Michael Lewis reported the New York Red Bulls are for sale. Confirming the (less convincing) reports from Grant Wahl last year.

Today (January 8), Kristian Dyer got Marc de Grandpre, RBNY's General Manager, to comment on Lewis's article: "We have received offers, but the club is not and will not be for sale," said the GM.

Two of New York soccer's most respected journalists, two entirely opposite reports. It is encouraging to note, at least, that what has become a call-and-response routine ("Red Bull wants out," say sources; "Nope," says de Grandpre) may have been corralled in one place. BigAppleSoccer.com, your single source for Red Bull sale rumors and refutations.

Setting aside the slightly troubling observation that Dyer's sources appear to be at their best when anonymous (Steven Gerrard not on RBNY's transfer radar - unnamed sources, subsequently confirmed; Robin Fraser off to Toronto FC -- unnamed sources, subsequently confirmed; Mike Petke fired - unnamed sources, subsequently confirmed), we have the quotes required to return this rumor to the back-burner.

Yes, the club has a slight air of late-stage Chivas USA about it at the moment: no invigorating big-name signings on long contracts, a Sporting Director drafted in from MLS HQ on a one-year deal, and a successful coach dumped in favor of a guy who has spent much of the last year peddling hindsight on YouTube.

But that is, of course, a thoroughly skewed representation of what may yet prove to be the basis of an era of unprecedented success for RBNY. As de Grandpre points out, the club is expanding the training facility and will have something to tell us about USL Pro in the near future.

This rumor seems to be following a pattern: Wahl reported little more than idle gossip in August, followed it up with something slightly less threadbare in October, and we just had Lewis advance the story with a slightly more specific alleged sale price (Wahl had reported $300 million - which would probably be sufficient to get any owner in the league to sell; Lewis reported "anything over $220 million" - which starts to edge toward fire-sale territory).

We're getting sale stories every two months, basically. Look forward to de Grandpre's next comments on the subject in March.