Aurelien Tchouameni has denied that he and Real Madrid team-mate Federico Valverde were involved in a fight, saying reports of a confrontation between the pair were exaggerated.
The two midfielders were reportedly involved in an incident during training in May of this year, when tensions were said to have escalated into a heated exchange.
Valverde suffered a head injury and was taken to hospital for treatment. He said at the time that he had hit a table.
Real Madrid subsequently opened disciplinary proceedings against both players. They were issued a €500,000 fine and instructed to apologise to the club and its supporters.
Valverde had previously rejected suggestions that either player had punched the other. He said there had been a disagreement during training, followed by another argument the next day, during which he accidentally struck a table and cut his forehead.
Tchouameni has now provided his account of the incident, arguing that the story grew because of the intense media attention surrounding Real Madrid.
“I want to clear things up. There was no fight between us. Yes, it's true that things happen in the changing room, but we never had a fight,” the France international said.
“In a changing room there are little scuffles and things like that, but I never came to blows with Valverde. It's true that there was something unpleasant happened.
“The only problem with all this is that when you’re at Real Madrid, anything - however small - gets blown out of all proportion and becomes a media circus. Something that wasn't necessarily a problem ends up becoming one.”
After taking charge, new manager Jose Mourinho said he was aware of the incident but decided to give both players a fresh start. Peace was subsequently restored between the team-mates.
The exact details of what happened remain disputed, however, with supporters continuing to debate whether Tchouameni and Valverde are still involved in a disagreement.
Tchouameni’s comments are the clearest denial yet that the pair exchanged blows, although he acknowledged that an unpleasant incident had taken place inside the Real Madrid changing room.
The midfielder also attributed the scale of the controversy to the heightened scrutiny placed on events at the club, saying that even a minor matter can quickly become a major media story.