Why gcc generates a PLT when it is apparently not needed?

Consider this code:

int foo();
int main() {
    foo();
    while(1){}
}

int foo() is implemented in a shared object.

Compiling this code with gcc -o main main.c -lfoo -nostdlib -m32 -O2 -e main --no-pic -L./shared gives the following diasm:

$ objdump -d ./main

./main:     file format elf32-i386


Disassembly of section .plt:

00000240 <.plt>:
 240:   ff b3 04 00 00 00       pushl  0x4(%ebx)
 246:   ff a3 08 00 00 00       jmp    *0x8(%ebx)
 24c:   00 00                   add    %al,(%eax)
    ...

00000250 <foo@plt>:
 250:   ff a3 0c 00 00 00       jmp    *0xc(%ebx)
 256:   68 00 00 00 00          push   $0x0
 25b:   e9 e0 ff ff ff          jmp    240 <.plt>

Disassembly of section .text:

00000260 <main>:
 260:   8d 4c 24 04             lea    0x4(%esp),%ecx
 264:   83 e4 f0                and    $0xfffffff0,%esp
 267:   ff 71 fc                pushl  -0x4(%ecx)
 26a:   55                      push   %ebp
 26b:   89 e5                   mov    %esp,%ebp
 26d:   51                      push   %ecx
 26e:   83 ec 04                sub    $0x4,%esp
 271:   e8 fc ff ff ff          call   272 <main+0x12>
 276:   eb fe                   jmp    276 <main+0x16>

With the following relocations:

$ objdump -R ./main

./main:     file format elf32-i386

DYNAMIC RELOCATION RECORDS
OFFSET   TYPE              VALUE 
00000272 R_386_PC32        foo
00001ffc R_386_JUMP_SLOT   foo

Note that:

1. The code was compiled with --no-pic, so it is not PIC
2. The call to foo(), in the .text section (main function), is not going through the PLT. Instead, it is just a simple R_386_PC32 relocation that I assume it will directly be relocated to the address of the foo function at load time. It makes sense to me since the code is not PIC, so there is no need to add an extra indirection through the PLT.
3. Even without being used, the PLT is still being generated. An entry for foo is present there and we even have a R_386_JUMP_SLOT relocation to set up the foo entry in the GOT at load time (which the PLT points to).

My question is simple: I don't see the PLT being used anywhere in the code and I also don't see it being necessary here, so why does gcc creates it?