Thomas Muller has defended Bayern Munich's summer transfer raids on their rivals, pointing to Paris Saint-Germain and their retention of Kylian Mbappe as proof that teams are under no obligation to sell.
The Bundesliga champions launched a double raid on coach Julian Nagelsmann's former club RB Leipzig, drafting both Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer into their ranks at the Allianz Arena.
While Bayern have begun the season unbeaten, Leipzig have won just one of their first three games - but Muller says that any accusation of sabotaging rivals is preposterous.
Whay has been said?
"No way," the Germany stalwart told Sport Bild when asked if the move to purchase the duo was an intentional strategy to hinder Leipzig's chances of challenging for the Bundesliga title.
"No club has an obligation to sell. Look at PSG and Mbappe. Like every club, we're on the lookout for quality that fits into our budget.
"It's normal to look around for options in the same league. There have always been transfers that are hotly debated, and that's a good thing."
The bigger picture
Muller's comments refer to PSG's refusal to cash in on Mbappe amid heavy interest from Real Madrid - despite the France star entering the final year of his deal and refusing to sign a new one.
It means that the Ligue 1 side stand to miss out on a huge windfall for the striker if he chooses to move on next season, though Mauricio Pochettino's side may hope to convince him to stay.
Muller, meanwhile, will be out to secure another Bundesliga crown, after the Hansi Flick era came to a close with another triumph last season.