Real Madrid have taken the unusual step of issuing a statement denying that they have any interest in signing David Villa from Valencia following recent media speculation.
The Spanish giants posted a message on their official website after days of rumours saw them linked to a move for the Spanish international striker.
With rumours of a package worth €100m circulating and the Madrid players being asked for their reaction after training, the club has moved to quash the story.
"Due to certain information printed in the press, Real Madrid CF wishes to clarify that it never considered the possibility of signing David Villa, despite his extraordinary talents. The Club has never contacted the player or his entourage," the statement read.
"Real Madrid CF has a policy of maintaining good relations with other clubs and it would like to stress that it will never do anything that could hinder those relations."
With Madrid continuously linked to a string of players, the club appears to have adopted this new approach under president Ramón Calderón.
Ovder the summer a paper ran a piece suggesting that Madrid were looking at making an offer for Andrés Iniesta, which moved Los Merengues' president to state that they were not.
It appears that Calderón is keen to maintain strong relations with all the major clubs in Spain and is tired of the press fabricating stories.
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