Responding to an insulting tirade directed at him by Mino Raiola, Manchester City's Pep Guardiola chose his time carefully before issuing a response.
Speaking ahead of a potentially title-winning game against Manchester United this evening, Guardiola suggested that the same agent who had labeled him a "coward" and a "dog" had been exceptionally keen to do business with him and his club only a few months prior.
The nature of that business was particularly tumultuous; offering United's record-signing Paul Pogba to their city rivals.
Although Jose Mourinho had already conducted his pre-match press conference and could not comment on the suggestion that his most-expensive player was being touted to the Premier League champions-elect, reports have emerged today that Mourinho is attempting to suss out the nature of Guardiola's suggestion.
Jose Mourinho has spoken to Mino Raiola about Guardiola's Pogba claim and Raiola has denied it. Someone isn't telling the truth.
— Rob Dawson (@RobDawsonESPN) April 7, 2018
Dawson, the Manchester United correspondent for ESPN, has suggested that Raiola is denying any such flouting of Pogba took place.
The agent of Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Sergio Romero and former United players, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Raiola did respond directly to Guardiola's comments last night:
I never spoke to him. And that I offer players not to him but to Manchester City, which is a fantastic club with a fantastic manager.
Who I talk about I will not comment, that I leave to the club's responsibility and account.
Leaving it all a little vague as to whether he did or did not include Pogba in any potential talks with the club, Mourinho has been speaking to Sky Sports ahead of this evening's derby:
Guardiola says that, the agent denies, so one of them is saying the truth and one of them is not telling the truth.
Honestly, I am not interested in knowing which one is the liar and which one is the honest guy.
