Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac has apologised to his Man City counterpart Pep Guardiola over comments made regarding a transfer for Leroy Sane.
Kovac previously said he expected Sane would be a Bayern player this summer, claiming: "I am very confident. I assume we can get it [done]."
However Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge played down his manager's declaration, stating: "I did not like what he said."
This prompted Kovac to discuss the situation with Guardiola and issue a grovelling apology, as reported by Goal .
Kovac said: "We [Bayern and him] talked about it. Maybe I was too offensive in that interview. I talked to Pep and apologised because of it.
"I would like to apologise to the club, too. I will restrain myself in cases like this in the future."
Sane had been heavily linked with a move to the Allianz Arena earlier in the transfer window, despite Bayern's initial reservations over City's £90 million asking price.
The German winger has struggled to hold down a regular first team place under boss Guardiola, with Sane behind Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva in the pecking order.
However it appears Bayern's interest has now cooled in the 23-year-old, and Bayern's sporting director Hassan Salihamidzic backed up his CEO's stance on the comments.
"We are all well advised not to talk about other players who are under contract with other clubs," Salihamidzic said. "That's why Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said that."
A more pressing concern for Guardiola is appointing a new captain before the season opener on August 10.
Former captain Vincent Kompany left the club at the end of last season, and City are still yet to choose a successor for the armband.
Raheem Sterling was tipped to take over the role, but denied he is in line to make the step up.
"It's not something that I'm fussed about really," said Sterling. "It has to be natural, you can't force it.
"I'm not going to start shouting on the pitch now Vinny's gone. Your team-mates have to see you in that light.
"The manager and us as players will make the right choice. We've got a lot of good candidates here.
"David [Silva] has been here for god knows how long - he's been in the country longer than I have! There's Kevin [de Bruyne], [Fernan] Dinho, we have a lot of players who can fill it."
