Barcelona legend Xavi denies giving interview to The Sun in which he 'claimed' Manchester City want Dele Alli
The World Cup winner has told SPORT he "never" spoke to the tabloid
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.FC Barcelona legend Xavi claims he never spoke to The Sun for an interview published in the tabloid on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old, who is now playing in Qatar with Al-Sadd, was quoted as saying Manchester City wanted to sign Dele Alli in a world-record deal.
“I speak with Pep, and I know he thinks it is important to sign English players.
“I am sure in the summer he will look also across Europe for players to improve the squad, but also I expect him to look in The Premier League as well," were just a couple of lines Xavi was purported to have told the News UK title.
However the former Barca midfielder has told Spanish daily SPORT that he has not spoken with any English newspaper and did not give this interview.
"Never" he told them.
Xavi's reported quotes were put to Mauricio Pochettino in Tuesday's press conference, with the Tottenham manager jokingly referring to the World Cup winner as his "enemy."
The Sun have recently been banned by Liverpool Football Club, over their reporting of the Hillsborough disaster, and now Everton for a recent column on Ross Barkley that contained racially-insulting language.
Tranmere Rovers and Chester City have joined their neighbours in expelling the tabloid.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments