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Xavi denies speaking to British paper about City's interest in Dele Alli

Jasper Juinen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi claims that he never spoke to The Sun about the possibility of Manchester City targeting Tottenham star Dele Alli.

The British outlet published a story earlier this week with quotes attributed to Xavi claiming that his former manager, Pep Guardiola, is interested in signing the two-time PFA Young Player of the Year winner.

But Xavi, who plays with Qatari club Al Sadd, insists that he "never" conducted an interview with The Sun, according to Spanish outlet Sport, adding that he's never publicly talked about Alli.

The alleged comments triggered a somewhat playful response from Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, who loosely claimed that Xavi was doing City's dirty work. He even suggested that a rocky relationship between himself and the midfielder were behind Xavi's supposed remarks, citing a feud with the Spanish player that dates back to when Pochettino played and managed Barcelona's city rivals, Espanyol.

"He's in a period when he loves to talk, he's in Doha and - listen - he was a Barcelona player, he's my enemy," Pochettino said, according to David Kilpatrick of ESPN FC, before Xavi claimed the story was fabricated.

"He tried to destroy our focus to win because he hates me because he's Barcelona - a player, a fan, you know."

On Wednesday, Guardiola claimed that City has no interest in Alli despite his admission that he's a "fantastic" player.

Related - Guardiola: 'Manchester City doesn't want Dele Alli'

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