Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez has distanced himself from reports he is wanted by Manchester City.

The 21-year-old is regarded as a potential star of the future in his native Spain, with Bilbao having spent big to acquire his services while he was still a teenager.

His development has continued with the Primera Division side and he is now an established Spain under-21 international.

So rapid has his progress been, a number of Europe's top clubs have been alerted to his ability.

City, who have been looking to bolster their midfield ranks for some time, are reported to be among those showing the most interest.

A summer switch to England has been touted, but Martinez has moved quickly to suppress the rumours.

"Nobody has told me anything, not my agent or anyone else," he said in Marca.

"I try to avoid this kind of talk as much as possible as it would be wrong of me to divert my attention from the games we have coming up.

"I do not know if the stories are true, as you can never tell if what comes out in the media are truths or not-so-truths."

Martinez went on to say that he is "very comfortable" in Bilbao because 'there is a good project for young people here'.