Bayern Munich have firmly denied recent reports about their transfer pursuit of Leroy Sane.
The German champions are unlikely to meet Manchester City's mammoth asking price of £145million for the winger.
Despite publicly admitting their interest in Sane, City are holding firm and have no intention to let Sane go this summer.
Reports on Thursday had suggested that Sane had opened talks with Bayern over a transfer agreement that was worth an initial £72million - a claim that Mirror Football understands to be untrue.
It was also claimed in Germany that a contract of four or five years was close to being agreed.
But Bayern have vehemently denied the claims, insisting that they are incorrect.
They took to Twitter to say: "News reports made today stating that Leroy Sane has decided to join FC Bayern do not correspond to the facts."
Earlier this month, Bayern boss Niko Kovac has apologised to his City counterpart Pep Guardiola over comments made regarding the transfer pursuit.
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.
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."
