Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted that the club have no intention of making a summer bid for Tottenham ace Dele Alli.
Talk has been growing over the past week about the possibility of City making a record-breaking move for the England international, who has been one of the top players in the Premier League this season.
The 21-year-old has scored 20 goals and provided 11 assists in 44 appearances in all competitions, and naturally that form has attracted interest from elsewhere.
It all began with alleged comments from Barcelona legend Xavi, who supposedly told The Sun that Guardiola was looking to sign Alli this summer.
However, he denied ever speaking to the newspaper on Wednesday and dismissed the quotes as false, only after Mauricio Pochettino had hit out at him and labelled him his ‘enemy’ given their history in La Liga and having seemingly tried to rock the boat at White Hart Lane to help his friend Guardiola.
Guardiola has looked to calm the whole situation down though, ruling out a move for Alli this summer and telling his rival Premier League boss that he has nothing to worry about.
“Mauricio Pochettino has to stay calm. Dele Alli is going to be his player next season, I am pretty sure of that,” he told Sky Sports.
“We don’t want Dele Alli. He is a fantastic player. He is such good news for English football. He is a fighter, attacking the box he is one of the most fantastic players I’ve seen in my life.
“But Manchester City doesn’t want Dele Alli.”
That will certainly settle a few nervous Tottenham fans who will be slightly concerned this summer over keeping all their key individuals at the club for next season.
While Pochettino is undoubtedly building something special in north London as they continue to challenge for the Premier League title with Chelsea, a lack of trophies could inevitably lead to questions being asked and rival clubs around Europe looking to swoop for their best players.