Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has distanced himself from comments attributed to him in the press, which claimed that he was keen on a move to Chelsea.
The 22-year-old was quoted by Turkish media outlet Fanatik as saying that a switch to Stamford Bridge could be on the cards next summer, despite heavy interest from elsewhere.
Calhanoglu is banned from playing for Leverkusen for the remainder of the season, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld FIFA's punishment for breaching a contract while with Trabzonspor, but he has taken to Twitter to make clear that he is not looking to push through an exit.
"I said nothing about Chelsea in the press & didn't talk to any Turkish journalist - neither about the court decision nor about my future!", the tweet read.
I said nothing about Chelsea in the press & didn't talk to any Turkish journalist - neither about the court decision nor about my future!
— Hakan Çalhanoğlu (@hakanc10) February 6, 2017
Calhanoglu appeared 14 times for Leverkusen prior to this ban, scoring six times and assisting five more in the Bundesliga.