Friday’s edition of The Mirror carried an ‘exclusive’ claiming that Sir Bobby was set to make the move as he sees Beattie as an ideal replacement for Alan Shearer.
The Mirror’s claim of an ‘exclusive’ is fairly odd, as the Daily Star carried the same ‘exclusive’ a week ago, and it also seems the story itself has little substance.
A club insider is quoted in the Evening Chronicle denying the story, commenting: "Reports that we are interested in signing Beattie for £12 million are sheer garbage."
Meanwhile Sir Bobby told a press conference that no decisions have been made yet about summer transfer targets.
"He's a clever fella, my chairman. He keeps going off and playing golf," he joked.
"We will obviously look at the situation. The chairman is keener than anybody to keep the club progressing, going in the right direction.
"But we haven't got into the Champions League yet, not yet, so the money's not there, not yet.
"We have a qualifying match to play, so he'll be aware of that. But like me, he wants nothing but the best for the club and if there's a way that we can improve the quality and the depth of the pool by an addition or two, he will be as keen as me to do it."