STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Volvo Cars denied on Monday its chief executive Stefan Jacoby might be leaving to head General Motors' European unit after a Swedish newspaper reported he was a candidate for the job.

Opel/Vauxhall declined to comment.

"There is no substance behind the rumors about Stefan Jacoby leaving Volvo Car Corporation," a spokesman for Volvo Cars said in an emailed comment. Volvo Cars is owned by Chinese group Geely.

Citing unnamed sources, business daily Dagens Industri said Jacoby, who has been CEO of Volvo Cars since August 2010, was a hot candidate for the job of CEO of Opel/Vauxhall.

In July, Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke stepped down to take on "special assignments" for GM CEO Dan Akerson.

GM appointed Steve Girsky, who heads Opel's board, to serve as its acting head of Europe while it searched for a successor to Stracke.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)