Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni has firmly denied that any serious conflict exists between him and teammate Federico Valverde, insisting the media blew the situation far out of proportion.

Speaking to L'Équipe, Tchouaméni acknowledged that disagreements are a normal part of football, but stressed that everyone inside the club knew the real story — and had moved on long before the press did.

Locker room calm

"What bothered me were the false stories that came out compared to what actually happened. I can't do anything about that. The most important thing is that in the locker room, we're cool, we're relaxed," Tchouaméni told L'Équipe.

The France international added that no problem, in football or in life, is ever as large as it appears in the moment. He described the media cycle as something a player simply has to weather for a few days before a new story takes over.

"This story got so big that for the first two or three days, it felt like it would never end. But after two or three days, someone says something crazy or another story comes up and you move on."

Back to business at training

Tchouaméni confirmed that he and Valverde have trained together without issue. The pair had yet to share the pitch in a match, however — the French midfielder missed Real Madrid's most recent La Liga fixture due to a muscle problem.

"We shook hands when he came back and we keep working together," Tchouaméni said, urging people to accept that there is genuinely no lingering dispute. "A lot of things happen in a locker room," he added, suggesting the public rarely sees the full picture of day-to-day dressing-room life.

The 25-year-old also noted that he feels he has reached a new level at Real Madrid this season, a personal milestone he appears keen to protect from off-field noise.