He’s been working on it for more than 14 years now, and still, there are no concrete signs that Axl Rose’s magnum opus, the oft-delayed Chinese Democracy, will be in stores anytime soon. But on Friday, Billboard.com reported that, according to several unnamed sources, the long-awaited album could soon be coming to your local Wal-Mart.

The report claims that negotiations have begun to make Chinese Democracy a retail exclusive, either at Wal-Mart or Best Buy. The article further purports that negotiations to distribute the record through conventional channels have also been ongoing.

Of course, no one from Guns N’ Roses’ management firm, Front Line Management, was available to comment on these rumors, but Irving Azoff, who runs Front Line, did work with the Eagles to get their Long Road Out of Eden on Wal-Mart’s shelves, making that album an exclusive for the chain. Additionally, representatives from Best Buy and Wal-Mart would not confirm the rumors.

Could the release of Chinese Democracy be imminent? Perhaps, considering Harmonix and MTV Games announced last month that “Shackler’s Revenge,” a track from the perennially delayed LP, would be making its worldwide debut on the forthcoming “Rock Band 2,” which will be released next month for the Xbox 360. We’ll believe it if, and only if, Axl Rose himself makes an official announcement about the record’s release. Until then, we’ll keep our fingers crossed.