Allardyce confirmed last week that he expressed an interest in signing Sukur earlier this season, before the player joined Blackburn where he has yet to make a first team appearance because of injury.
However, the Bolton boss told the club's official website: "Somebody has overheard me having a chat with Dean Saunders about Hakan Sukur and how we tried to get him to the club.
"We exchanged comments and somehow it ended up in the paper."