One-time World Rally winner Francois Duval has contacted M-Sport with a view to renting a Focus RS WRC for next month's Rally Deutschland.
Despite announcing his retirement from rallying earlier this season, the 29-year-old Belgian is seeking a possible return on the Trier-based event, which is one of his favorite rounds of the series.
Duval has competed on the Rally Deutschland seven times before, finishing on the podium four times, including his last visit there in 2008 when he drove a Ford Focus RS WRC 08 for the Stobart team.
Ford's technical director Christian Loriaux confirmed the 2005 Rally Australia winner had been in touch with the Cumbrian-based team.
Loriaux said: "Francois has contacted us about hiring a Focus for Germany. It's a purely commercial deal. I saw some things in the press saying that I have contacted him and I want him to come and drive the car to tell us where we are, but that's simply not true – I didn't say that at all and I've had to ignore 200 or so journalists calling me to ask me about it.
"I think we might have a car available and if he can find the budget then maybe we can make it happen. But that's it, like I said: a commercial deal, not us chasing him."