Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay says he does not think his club will be able to convince in-demand Burnley forward Danny Ings to join them this summer.
La Real coach David Moyes is an admirer of out-of contract England Under-21 international Ings, but Liverpool are interested in a player who scored 11 goals with Burnley last season during his first year in the Premier League.
The San Sebastian club's chief told a news conference that there had been previous contact with Ings' representatives, but it now looked "difficult" to convince the player to come to Anoeta.
"We have not spoken with Danny Ings' camp for a month, we had some communication, I do not believe he will be an easy player to bring to Real Sociedad," Aperribay said. "We are going to see which decision he takes, but I hear that it is difficult."
Aperribay did say he was sure that Moyes was staying at La Real for the long term, despite the former Everton and Manchester United boss having been linked with vacancies at West Ham and Newcastle recently.
"We are not aware of [interest from any English clubs in Moyes], we have never spoken about it," he said. "We have never had the smallest doubt, he has never hinted at anything, nor has he said anything to us."
While saying the club would likely sign "three or four" new players this summer, bringing back ex-txuri-urdin midfielder Asier Illarramendi from Real Madrid was very unlikely, Aperribay said.
"We have had no contact with Real Madrid," he said. "It seems very difficult to me, he is a Real Madrid who wants to win there, although we know he is very txuri-urdin, but his place is very far away now."
Aperribay said that the Basques were expecting to keep goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who spent last season at the club on loan from Uruguayan club Deportivo Maldonado, however his third-party ownership made the situation complicated.
"Rulli signed a contract with Real Sociedad a month ago, but Rulli belongs to Maldonado," he said. "His contract is signed, because he has the full consent of the company which owns his rights."