Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has confirmed the Silver Arrows won't be moving for Fernando Alonso despite believing he is one of Formula 1’s greatest drivers.

Wolff did, however, fail to rule out a move for Red Bull star Max Verstappen as Mercedes weigh up their options ahead of the 2020 season.

With much speculation surrounding Valtteri Bottas’ seat as his contract nears its end, many tip young reserve Esteban Ocon as the favourite to make the step up, with Wolff himself regarding him as the future of Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton is also being consulted about who should be his next teammate, while they do still have the option to extend Bottas’ contract for another year.

Alonso is a name often linked with F1 teams following his retirement from the sport at the end of last season, and he was most recently linked with Red Bull to replace Pierre Gasly before they chose to promote Alexander Albon.

Wolff confirmed a decision for the 2020 season would be made in August, but said Alonso is not someone they are considering.

"Fernando is undoubtedly one of the strongest drivers and after his adventures at Ferrari, he no longer had the opportunity to drive a competitive car," Wolff said to La Gazzetta dello Sport, as per GPBlog.

"Due to a series of circumstances, the top teams already have their 'alpha' driver. Sometimes it's not enough to be good at driving, you also need to have the right circumstances.

"Yes," Wolff said when asked if it was "unthinkable" to see Alonso and Hamilton back together at Mercedes.

"We don't want to repeat certain stories from when the two were together with McLaren."

When asked about a move for Verstappen for the 2021 season, Wolff did not rule out the possibility.

The Silver Arrows boss said: “That's too far away. We are fighting for the 2019 title and planning for 2020.

"Everything is open after 2020.”