Report(s): Red Bulls not interested in Cristian Ledesma...now Daniele De Rossi rumor is alive again

One of the more entertaining aspects of this off-season has been the New York Red Bulls' extended game of whack-a-mole with transfer rumors emanating from Serie A.

Whether it is because Italian agents are all chasing that Giovinco money, or simply a desire on the part of these players to create a little leverage for themselves in contract negotiations closer to home, a great many Italy-based stars are claiming to be MLS transfer targets. And many of them name "New York" as a suitor: it is a pleasingly vague description, since there are three pro teams with a proven recent history of dropping the sort of cash to which a certain caliber of player can become accustomed.

The most recent rumor of this type to surface involved Lazio's Cristian Ledesma: La Gazzetta dello Sport reported he was being courted by RBNY and Montreal Impact on February 11.

Whack! On February 12, BigAppleSoccer.com had a source to say the Red Bulls have no interest in or contact with Ledesma.

Similarly, when reports out of Italy on February 2 suggested Udinese's Antonio Di Natale was looking at a big-money deal from "New York"...Whack! By February 3, the Red Bulls had a source telling Brian Lewis of the New York Post there was nothing to it. (Also...Whack! Whack! NYC FC and the Cosmos jumped in for a little three-player whack-a-mole on that particular rumor.)

And then there's that Daniele De Rossi rumor that has been popping up since....forever (he's expressed a desire to live in America for many years). Recently, the talk about De Rossi moving to MLS has become steadily more insistent - and it's back again: multiple reports out of Italy on February 12 (originating with La Gazzetta dello Sport, but proliferating quickly) suggest the Roma player is currently on the radar of two "New York" clubs, identified as the Red Bulls and the Cosmos by some outlets.

The latest iteration of this rumor is that De Rossi could move to the US at the end of the 2015-16 season.

Your move, RBNY. There's a Serie A transfer rumor that needs quashing. Whack?