RB Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick has hit out at the advisors of Naby Keita and Emil Forsberg for unsettling the midfielders this summer.
Guinea international Keita, 22, has been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool, while AC Milan and Arsenal are reportedly among a host of top European clubs chasing the signature of Sweden international Forsberg, 25.
Commenting on the transfer speculation surrounding his club's prized midfield duo, Rangnick told reporters: "Both are extraordinary players who, even in our really good team, make all the difference. I expect them to play for us next season."
However, German tabloid Bild reported on Wednesday that Leipzig are now braced for Keita to leave and that the player has appeared halfhearted in training and become an outsider in the squad.
Former Leipzig, Schalke and Stuttgart coach Rangnick hinted that the players' heads had been turned, blaming Keita and Forsberg's agents for their part in fuelling the speculation.
"Currently, they are confronted by offers and sums of money where someone is needed to point them in the right direction," Rangnick said.
"The boys themselves are not the problem here. It is their surroundings. A whole village in Guinea or somebody from their entourage telling the players why they must do this right away -- and not join Liverpool, Barcelona or whoever in one or two years' time. I can't blame the players."
Meanwhile, Forsberg has told kicker he does not understand what all the fuss is about after previously hailing Milan as a "fantastic" club and an interesting project.
Asked whether he regretted his comments, which helped spark the transfer speculation, Forsberg said: "No, I only answered a journalist's question. I would have given the same answer for Bayern Munich. Milan is one of the biggest clubs in the world, along with Real [Madrid], Barcelona or Manchester United."
Forsberg says his comments will not affect his standing at Leipzig, who finished as runners-up to Bayern in the Bundesliga last season.
He said: "Why should it? What bad things did I say about Leipzig? Nothing. I have always spoken positively about RB. I don't understand the fuss. Everything is fine. I'm totally motivated and focused and ideally want to play an even better season with RB than the last one."
Forsberg's agent has previously said that Leipzig had destroyed his client's dream.
Asked about those comments, Forsberg said: "Every player has a dream. But we don't need to talk about that anymore, everything has been said."