The move is the latest incident following rumours the 39-year-old Norwegian footballer was in talks with the British club’s US owner Randy Lerner, Friday.

According to Røkke’s company, Aker, Solskjær failed to answer questions from them before flying to Birmingham, and went AWOL from a Molde FC football practice. Røkke’s decision to remove funding from Molde means the club faces a budget reduction of 90 million kroner. 

Solskjær spoke to British media today about his decision to talk to Aston Villa before returning to Norway. He declared he had talked to Røkke about the matter, and that he would honour the last two years of his current contract with Molde.

“I was asked by a friend whether I was interested in speaking with Villa. I called Kjell Inge straight away. We agreed that I could speak to them on Wednesday, that it was ok. I have not had any offers. I’m not looking for another job,” The Guardian reported him as saying.

Declaring he had not done anything wrong, Solskjær added, “I would have spoken with Villa regardless, despite seeing the consequences of it. I have to protect myself, my ambitions, and my family.” 

Meanwhile, Molde’s chairman Øystein Neerland stated that the club will support Solskjær despite the loss of sponsorship.

“Molde FC has a contract with Ole Gunnar, and Ole Gunnar has a contract with Molde FC. We see no reason to change that.”

"The players are used to speculation about me," said Solskjær. "What is new is we have lost the backing from Aker ASA, which I understand has been discussed at length. Whether it's coincidence or not, it's happened now, we'll get answers. I received a text from Rokke today and we'll discuss it with each other soon."

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