Schmidt is currently on trial in Munich for his role in the international blood doping ring.

He was arrested last year after police carried out raids at the International Ski Federation Nordic Ski World Championships in Seefeld in Austria and in the German city Erfurt.

At least 23 athletes are believed to have been involved in the blood doping network in Germany and Austria.

According to reports from Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Eržen's name was brought up in court during Schmidt's trial. 

The German doctor claimed that Eržen "wanted to enter into a business relationship" and asked for "a machine".

It is not the first time Slovenia's Eržen, who has experience as a rider, talent scout, coach, altitude training expert, rider agent and manager, has been linked to the case. 

In 2019, it was reported that the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation had documentation that Eržen made contact with Schmidt through a Croatian intermediary to purchase a centrifuge, used in blood transfusions to separate red cells from plasma.

Schmidt had allegedly refused to engage with Eržen.

Eržen's lawyer Tomažin Bolcar rejected the claims through a statement posted on Slovenian website Siol.net.

"Between 2013 and 2016, Milan Eržen did not perform any function in cycling," Bolcar said.

"The text message from 2014 to Schmidt thus has nothing to do with cycling.

"Furthermore, there was never any form of cooperation between Eržen and Schmidt and they never established a relationship, neither business or personal."

Schmidt and four co-defendants, who have been accused of aiding him, have reportedly been accused by prosecutors of helping athletes undergo blood transfusions.

Earlier in the trial, Schmidt admitted he had been using doping methods and given prohibited substances to athletes since 2012. 

Just this week, he read out a statement claiming he had been trying to protect athletes he worked with. 

Schmidt reportedly said he had not initiated the doping network but had been meeting demand, having received requests from athletes.

Operation Aderlass was launched last year, which led to the police raids in Seefeld and Erfurt.

The raids followed revelations made by Austrian skier Johannes Dürr about blood doping in an ARD documentary.

Dürr was banned for life from the sport after admitting to blood doping.

Around 40 blood bags and other items associated with doping were reportedly seized during the raids in Germany.

Blood was said to have been taken around the world to Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Croatia, Slovenia and the American state of Hawaii.

Several cyclists have faced sanctions for involvement in the Operation Aderlass scandal, including Slovenia's Kristijan Koren and Borut Božič. 

Croatia's Kristijan Durasek and Austria's Stefan Denifl and Georg Preidler have also received suspensions. 

Schmidt and the co-defendants could face jail sentences of up to 10 years if found guilty, following anti-doping legislation introduced in Germany in 2015.