Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini says it is "normal" for his club to be linked with a move for Barcelona's Lionel Messi, while suggesting that sometimes such rumours come from "personal interests" and have nothing to do with the clubs concerned.
Messi's future has become a huge talking point amid reports of a falling-out with Blaugrana coach Luis Enrique, and apparent longstanding issues between his camp and the Barca board.
The 26-year-old himself has denied any problems with Luis Enrique, but regular comments that he cannot say yet where he will be playing next season have only helped feed such speculation.
Not many clubs could afford to pay Messi's 250 million-euro-buyout clause and meet his 20 million-plus-euro annual salary demands given the restrictions of financial fair play, but City, Manchester United and Chelsea, along with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, have all been credited with an interest in his services.
Speaking on "Al Primer Toque," Pellegrini said City had a tendency to be included in speculation about moves at the very top end of the market but this did not necessarily mean his club were the ones fuelling the media stories.
Asked about Messi, the Chilean said: "It is normal that clubs with the capacity to buy are linked with the best players on the market. Often these rumours come from personal interests, and not from the club. There is nothing in that way concrete in this case."
Should Luis Enrique leave Barcelona, Pellegrini would likely be one of the contenders for the vacancy, but he said he had no intention of leaving City at present.
"It is not right for either Barca or me at the moment," he said. "I am staying here in England -- I am very happy at this club. I have one more year on my contract, and I just see it as the speculation that comes with this profession."
The former Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga coach said that he preferred working in the Premier League due to the fact a greater number of clubs are able to invest in the top quality players.
"It is important to work at a club that has the capacity to buy good players, to be a competitive team," he said. "The big difference between the English league and the Spanish league is that here six clubs have the possibility to buy many [big-name] players.
"In Spain I believe there are three -- maybe four with Valencia -- who can buy a player for eight or 10 million euros, but in England the 20 clubs can do that, without any problem. That is the big difference."
Pellegrini said the competitive level had dropped a lot in La Liga during the last decade.
"During my 10 years in Spain, I could see how the clubs' ability to buy was deteriorating," he said. "That of Barca and Madrid goes up, because the income is so different between some clubs and others.
"In 2004, for instance, Valencia had a better squad than Madrid or Barcelona. Sevilla had a great team too, with players like Dani Alves and Julio Baptista. With Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, there were six teams who could win the title."