Toto Wolff has responded to rumours suggesting a discussion is planned to have between himself and Max Verstappen following the Miami Grand Prix, to explore the potential of Verstappen joining Mercedes.
Rumours are circulating that Verstappen will soon engage in discussions with his manager and father, along with Wolff, to assess the feasibility of Verstappen moving to Mercedes in the future.
Earlier this week, speculation intensified as various sources began reporting a potential offer Mercedes might present to the Red Bull driver.
This offer could amount to as much as €150 million, roughly three times greater than the salary of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Wolff has now addressed the rumour of the impending discussions for the first time, ahead of this weekend's visit to the Miami International Autodrome.
While Wolff has never explicitly denied his interest in signing the three-time world champion, he is seeking to dampen speculation surrounding the alleged planned talks.
During the launch of a WhatsApp emoji (the race car emoji now sports the colours of a Mercedes F1 car), the Austrian was asked by Reuters about the potential talks with Verstappen.
"No, that's one of the rumours," stated the Mercedes boss.
"People make up meetings, make up what happens to the drivers, but these things should happen behind closed doors and everything that has been brought out was not really correct."
He also talked about the recent speculation surrounding the potential departure of Red Bull's chief technical officer, Adrian Newey.
Newey has been strongly linked with a switch to Ferrari, a team that Hamilton is set to join in 2025.
"Adrian Newey is an iconic engineer in Formula 1 with a great track record and again, there are also so many people talking about what he might end up doing and whether he leaves Red Bull or not," Wolff said.