The University of Oxford has fuelled speculation that President Clinton could become one of its visiting academics when he leaves office.

There have been reports that Mr Clinton has expressed an interest in returning to teach at the university where he studied over 30 years ago.

Responding to the claims, the university on Thursday said that it was "putting in place arrangements to bring distinguished figures from United States public life to Oxford".

And the university said it was looking forward to "the opportunity to build on our existing relationship with President Clinton", which has included presenting him with an honorary degree in 1994.

But there have so far been no "formal arrangements" for Mr Clinton to visit Oxford, says the university.

'Didn't inhale'

If Mr Clinton is invited to become an Oxford academic at the end of his presidential term, there has been speculation that it would see him lecturing at the Rothermere American Institute - part of the university dedicated to furthering an understanding of the United States.

When Mr Clinton was last engaged in the academic life of the university it was as a student in an era of flower power, campus radicalism and campaigns against the Vietnam War.

And it was as a student in Oxford that the president famously "didn't inhale" cannabis at a party.

Mr Clinton studied politics at Oxford between 1968 and 1970 under the Rhodes Scholarship scheme, which helps students from the United States to study at the University of Oxford.