Despite the apparent collapse of negotiations to stage a Rolling Stones public concert in Boston, rumors of a last-minute Boston-area appearance by the famed British rock group continued to swirl yesterday.

But the word from Rolling Stones' officials--both publicly and privately--was that the group had no plans to play locally before leaving Massachusetts late next week to begin their first U.S. tour since 1978.

Bill Graham, the Stones' national promoter, described the possibility of a Boston-area show--either a public conert or unpublicized club appearance--as "possible but improbable."

Added another Stones' source, when asked of the chances for a last-minute engagement: "You could vacation in Cape Cod for the weekend and it would be fairly safe."

The chances of a public concert in Boston anytime soon seemed to disappear yesterday when the Stones, citing security concerns, officially rejected an invitation from Boston Mayor Kevin H. White to stage an open-air free performance Sunday afternoon on City Hall Plaza.

Graham said in a telephone interview from New York that the proposed free concert--which he estimated could draw a million people--would be in "total disregard for public safety."

"'Free' is an easy word to throw around, especially in this business, but it's rather dangerous to apply it in rock 'n' roll," Graham said. He added that the rock group felt "no anger, only disappointment" at the cancellation of two proposed Boston shows for the 2,800-seat Orpheum Theatre, which he described as the "righteous place" for a public concert.

Boston officials refused to grant permission for those dates because of potential security problems. But they have maintained than an outdoor crowd would be easier to handle.

Discussions of a possible Stones concert Monday at the 4,000-seat Metropolitan Center in Boston also went nowhere, Joanne Prevost, White's director of licensing, said in an afternoon news conference. The rock group also rejected playing at Boston Garden because of poor acoustics.

Afterwards, reports surfaced that Stones representatives had contacted officials in suburban Lowell about a possible Sunday concert at the 4000-seat Memorial Auditorium. But the city's acting police chief. John Sheehan, rejected the idea because of potential security problems--the same reason Boston officials vetoed two concerts this weekend proposed for the Orpheum Theatre.

At least two suburban clubs--Mister C's Rock Palace in Lowell and Uncle Sam's in Hull--acknowledged being contacted by Stones representatives about a possible appearance but said no dates had been set.

Meanwhile, Mick Jagger and friends were described as "having a great time" at Long View Farm in North Brookfield, Mass., where they have been rehearsing for the upcoming tour. Their reaction to the controversy in Boston was said by one source to be "mild amusement."

On Monday night, the Stones played at the small Sir Morgan's Cove Bar in nearby Worcester before 300 fans. Eleven persons in a crowd of 4000 waiting outside were arrested for disorderly conduct.

Boston officials cited that occurrence when banning the Orpheum concerts, but Graham denied that the Worcester crowd was unruly.

"It was just a kick-ass rock 'n' roll night," he said. "People inside were fine, the people outside could hear, and everyone went home happy...it's just a shame that the Stones weren't given the opportunity to communicate with young people in Boston the same way."

No Boston dates are scheduled on the 23-city, 41-performance U.S. tour because there are no suitably large music facilities available here, Graham said.