Manchester United officials were alleged to have met Napoli forward Dries Mertens this week as the Belgian star considers his future at the Serie A club. But that was apparently not the case as his representatives have 'strongly' denied contact with any foreign club.
The story surfaced after gossip in Italy suggested that 'Manchester' officials had gone to Italy to meet with Mertens in a hotel to discuss his situation.
Il Mattino suggested that a two-hour meeting took place between 9am and 11am on Wednesday, and in full public view rather than in a private room.
Yet the same report also notes that Mertens' people were quick to respond and state that it was absolutely not true. They said that the player was not meeting with a foreign team and was only in the hotel for personal matters.
The 29-year-old is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career in 2016/17. He's scored 23 goals in all competitions after predominantly playing in a central 'false nine' role rather than his more natural position out wide and is Serie A's fourth highest scorer.
Uncertainty about his future stems from the fact that his current Napoli contract is due to expire in 2018 and there has as yet been no breakthrough in talks to extend his terms.
Were he to join United this summer it would be as an older and cheaper alternative to Antoine Griezmann, but it really doesn't seem likely at all given the gossipy hearsay nature of the rumour.
To continue the discussion on Twitter follow @jamiespencer155