Jonathan dos Santos has denied he is gay following reports from Mexico suggesting he is in a relationship with Villarreal team-mate Mateo Musacchio.
TV Notas reported that Dos Santos, 25, had been romantically involved with Argentine defender Musacchio for the past seven months.
However, Dos Santos put the rumours to bed and said that if he was homosexual, he would say so.
"To the media, if I was gay I would have no problem in saying so. Invent something else. Don't promote discrimination or sensationalism," he wrote via Twitter.
Dos Santos is a 17-time Mexico international and came through Barcelona's famous youth academy before moving to Villarreal in 2014.