Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has denied that he and Mario Balotelli were involved in a dressing room bust-up.

Reports had suggested that the pair had clashed during the half-time interval of City's 3-3 draw with Sunderland at the weekend.

However, the Ivory Coast international has now moved to dismiss the rumours as hearsay.

"They said I fought with Mario at Swansea and against Sunderland," Toure told the Daily Mail. "That shocked me. My lawyers called me about this and it was the first I knew about it.

"It's just not true. It didn't happen. I am a footballer, not a boxer. People don't know my relationship with Mario. He's not my friend, he's my brother and I love him.

"To say we had a fight is very sad. It upset me and I feel sorry for Mario. He suffers most from these things."

Toure moved to the Etihad Stadium from Barcelona in 2010.