Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has confirmed his club are not interested in signing Tottenham's Jermain Defoe.
Parry set the record straight after Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez claimed that Spurs are "desperate to sell" their England striker.
Benitez's remarks sparked a public row between the two clubs, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy labelling the Liverpool coach "unprofessional".
Levy called on Benitez to withdraw his remarks and apologise, while Spurs coach Martin Jol claimed the Spaniard was trying to unsettle his players. But after watching his side overcome Everton 3-1 in the Merseyside derby yesterday, Benitez was unrepentant and hit back at the Spurs chairman.
Tottenham, who face struggling West Brom at White Hart Lane in the Barclays Premiership tomorrow, have since contacted the Premier League over the affair but stopped short of registering an official complaint.
Parry, however, has revealed Liverpool are talking to Tottenham in a bid to end the row.
"We are in dialogue with Spurs, and it is an episode we want to put behind us and move on," Parry told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme. "I am sure we will do that. They are making the point they are not interested in our player, and we not interested in their player - so I think we'll resolve that one. "
Benitez's original outburst was the culmination of feverish speculation, involving Tottenham's reported interest in striker Djibril Cisse.
Rumours, suggesting Spurs would be interested in selling Defoe to Liverpool and taking Cisse to White Hart Lane, were given fresh impetus by the Frenchman's agent last week. He said Spurs had made a move to sign his client on the final day of the January transfer deadline - a claim rejected first by Jol and Levy.
The Premier League confirmed they have not yet received an official complaint from Spurs. Spokesman Dan Johnson said: "We have been made aware of the situation and we are monitoring it. We cannot launch an official inquiry until we receive a complaint."
