by CHRISTIAN ARAOS

The annual tradition of Ashley Cole-to-MLS rumors resumed today as Sky Italia reported the Roma leftback would join his former teammate, Patrick Vieira, at New York City FC for the coming campaign.

And like previous years, that report has been met with stiff denials from reliable sources.

With that, Empire of Soccer has learned that Cole is not in NYCFC’s offseason plans.

Cole has been linked to several MLS clubs throughout the past three years, including the New York Red Bulls. He rejected a contract offer from MLS in 2014 to join Roma of Serie A fame. At the time, Cole told reporters that he was “not ready to relax on a beach yet” regarding an MLS move.

Instead, he has been relaxing on the bench, having not made a competitive appearance for the club since last March. In fact, Cole has struggled to find playing time anywhere in his recent travels. His last regular starting gig came in the 2012/13 season with Chelsea, where he managed 31 appearances for the Premier League powerhouse. Since then? He has appeared in just 28 games.

The English defender has been linked to a return to the Premier League on a free transfer to Aston Villa.