Reports in the Italian media that Raiola had passed away on Thursday were furiously denied by a spokesperson for the 54-year-old.

She said: "This is fake news about Mino Raiola. The Italian press is absolutely irresponsible. To report that a person has passed, to the point his son has called to ask whether it's true. It's absurd."

It has been confirmed that Raiola had been admitted to San Raffaele Hospital, where he is in a critical condition.

Alberto Zangrillo, head of the Intensive Care Unit at San Raffaele Hospital, told Italian news agency ANSA: "I am outraged by phone calls from so-called journalists speculating on the life of a man who is fighting."

A tweet from Raiola's Twitter account read: "Current health status for the ones wondering: p****d off second time in 4 months they kill me. Seem also able to ressuscitate [sic]".

The Italian represents a host of star players, including the likes of Paul Pogba, Erling Haaland and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

It was reported in January that Raiola had undergone emergency surgery; however, a post on his official Twitter account stated he had only been in hospital for checks.

The post read: "Mino Raiola is undergoing ordinary medical checks that require anestesia [sic]. All was planned and no emergency surgery happened."