Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola didn't take too kindly to being asked about Jude Bellingham in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's game against Leicester.
England midfielder Bellingham has been linked with City and Liverpool, as well as clubs from overseas, and a move to the Etihad Stadium would see him reunited with former Borussia Dortmund stars Erling Haaland and Manuel Akanji.
Liverpool had been considered among the favourites to sign Bellingham, but have now pulled out of the race with manager Jurgen Klopp admitting the Reds can't afford the Dortmund man. Guardiola, however, was in no mood to rise to questions about the teenage talent.
"How many press conferences [do] you come here?" Guardiola asked a journalist who quizzed him about Bellingham. "You know that.
"It's not necessary, you have to prepare better. You come here, prepare the questions, knowing me, which answers I'm going. [to give] to your question."
City spent more than £100m on new players last summer, but recorded a net profit after offloading the likes of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus for big fees. England international Kalvin Phillips joined Haaland and Akanji at the Etihad Stadium, while Phillips' fellow midfielder Maximo Perrone arrived from Velez Sarsfield in January.
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Liverpool boss Klopp, meanwhile, was brutally honest in his stance. The Reds are likely to need more than one midfield addition, with Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain expected to leave, and have been linked with Chelsea duo Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher.
"There's nothing to say about it to be honest," Klopp told the media when asked about Bellingham. "If we don't speak about players we sign or not sign, why would I speak about this kind of speculation and news? I have nothing to say about it.
"It has always been like this. It's never changed. My answer now is not about Jude Bellingham. I never understood why we constantly talk about things we theoretically cannot have. We cannot have six players in the summer for £100m [each], for example. That’s clear.
"You have to realise what you can do and then you have to work with that. How much money do we have available? Then we work with that. That’s the job you have to do."
While a City move for Bellingham is far from certain, things are looking rosy for the reigning Premier League champions on the pitch. That's far from the case for last season's runners-up, who look set to miss out on a top four finish.
Guardiola's team face Leicester this weekend in the knowledge that victory in all their remaining league games would guarantee them the title. They are also in control of their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich heading into Wednesday's second leg, and will take on Championship side Sheffield United for a place in the FA Cup final.
