Borussia Dortmund chief Michael Zorc admits the club were blindsided by Erling Haaland 's headline-grabbing interview.
The superstar striker claimed on Friday that the Bundesliga giants were pressuring him into a decision on his future amid interest from Manchester City and several other top European clubs.
Rangers take on Dortmund in the Europa League in February and there remains the possibility that Haaland could be sold before then.
But the Norwegian international's claims have come as a surprise to sporting director Zorc.
He said: "I did not expect Haaland's comments.
"His remarks surprised us a bit. At the moment, there is no deadline, there haven't been any talks yet. But it's understandable, of course. You have to talk about it at some moment."
And Dortmund director, Sebastien Kehl, insisted there hadn't been a breakdown between the club and the player.
He pointed out: "Maybe it annoys him that a lot is spoken or written about him. A lot of what appears is baseless.
"We continue having a very good relationship with Haaland, with his father and with his agent, Mino Raiola."
Haaland's two goals took his tally for the season to 26 goals in just 21 starts for Dortmund and Norway.
