Federico Valverde has dismissed reports of a physical altercation with teammate Aurelien Tchouameni at Real Madrid, describing the claims as exaggerated rumours fueled by the club’s difficult season.

The midfielder, who is currently sidelined with injury, said the club was facing heightened scrutiny due to poor results and off-field controversies.

“Clearly, someone here is spreading rumours, and with a season without titles, where Real Madrid is always under scrutiny, everything gets blown out of proportion,” Valverde said.

According to BBC Sport, Spanish media reports on Wednesday claimed Valverde and Tchouameni were involved in a heated verbal exchange during training.

The disagreement reportedly continued after training on Thursday and escalated inside the dressing room at Real Madrid’s training facility.

Sources cited by BBC Sport claimed Valverde later sustained a head injury during the confrontation and was taken to hospital for treatment.

However, the Uruguay international denied reports of a physical fight, stating that he suffered the injury after accidentally hitting a table during the argument.

In a statement released Thursday evening, Valverde said he sustained “a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital” and insisted neither player physically attacked the other.

Valverde is expected to miss the upcoming El Clásico after being diagnosed with a concussion that could sideline him for up to two weeks.

Real Madrid has not issued a detailed public statement on the incident, saying only that updates would be provided after internal procedures are concluded.