Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino says it was Kieran Trippier's decision to leave the club.
The England international joined Atletico Madrid this summer after a poor 2018/19 campaign.
Trippier has claimed he was left in the dark about his departure, and Pochettino has now responded to those claims.
"I didn't see [his interview], but I heard about it," Pochettino said ahead of Saturday's home match against Crystal Palace. "We had a conversation where he explained he was going to move to Atletico Madrid – nothing more.
"On Wednesday, when Harry Kane arrived back [from international duty] he said to me, 'Did you get Kieran's text?' I said no because I changed my number. Maybe because he doesn't have the new number.
"He believed his words were twisted - I don't know anything more. Kieran translated this message to me through Harry Kane. He wanted to tell me. But I've got no problem with Kieran.
"In football decisions happen and players move from one club to another. What happened, happened, and we need to move on and he needs to think of Atletico Madrid and be happy there."
Pochettino added: "In the only conversation when he arrived [back] after the summer, he came to see me, he asked me for a meeting and said, 'Gaffer, I think I have a good possibility and for different reasons I would like to accept the offer from Atletico Madrid'.
"He didn't ask me nothing – only whether the club were going to accept the offer. Nothing more. It wasn't a conversation – 'You want me? Or you don't want me?' It was so clear.
"He played the final of the Champions League, when I had plenty of different options, with Serge Aurier, Davinson Sanchez, Kyle Walker-Peters. But he played the final of the Champions League. My actions speak louder than my words."