Athletic Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde remained coy when asked about his side's interest in signing Real Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi.
Illarramendi's future at the Bernabeu is uncertain following the arrival of Lucas Silva from Cruzeiro, and the Madrid midfielder told AS last week: "If he comes or if the club says something, they'll tell me what my options are. Right now, I don't know anything. The club hasn't said anything."
Athletic are widely reported to have a strong interest in the 24-year-old Basque midfielder, but Valverde refused to confirm whether his club would be pursuing a deal.
"I know there are a lot of rumours," he told a news conference. "Athletic always looks at the market to see if we can buy players. Not only now but in the summer, too -- and we prefer to do any deals with discretion
"This has emerged, but we don't know what will happen."
Last week, Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti said he retained confidence in Illarramendi, and Emilio Butragueno, the club's director of institutional relations, has suggested there is no desire to sell him.
Butragueno said: "He is our player and I think he's a very good player. He is a Real Madrid player and we are happy about that."