Barcelona star Gerard Pique angered by club denying him business deal; halts salary reduction - Reports
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has been left angered by the club's decision to deny him a business deal and has halted plans to reduce his salary, as per Barca Universal.
The veteran defender had been negotiating with Barca over reducing his salary to help the Blaugrana register newly signed players due to their financial situation.
Jules Kounde now remains the only new signing that has not been registered.
Barca are also still eyeing moves for Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva and Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso.
They will have to make further cut-backs on their wage bill if they want to add the two Premier League stars to their squad.
Pique's huge salary reduction for this season would have aided Barcelona in their attempts to continue their huge rebuild and the Spaniard was willing to abide.
However, talks have between the two respective parties have reached an impasse, with Pique being denied the opportunity to purchase a 24.5 % stake in Barca Studios.
The sale of 24.5 % in Barca Studies to Orpheus Media secured the club €100 million in order to register six new players for their season-opening 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano.
It is the fourth economic lever activated by Barca this summer, which allows the club to raise funds by selling assets.
Club president Joan Laporta declined Pique's desire to purchase a stake in Barca Studios, which has ultimately led to doubts over the player's contract renewal.
Barcelona will need to activate fifth economic lever
With Barcelona still interested in signing both Silva and Alonso, the La Liga giants will have to raise further funds in order to bring the duo to the Nou Camp.
According to Spanish journalist Gerard Romero (via TransferNewsLive), the sale of midfielder Frenkie de Jong is the Blaugrana's fifth economic lever.
The Dutch star continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United to play under former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag.
However, the player seems reluctant to leave the Nou Camp both from a football standpoint and a financial perspective.
The midfielder is reportedly owed €17 million in deferred wages, which only makes the situation between the player and the La Liga club more problematic.
Alongside this, United are encountering a woeful start to the season under Ten Hag of which they have lost their first two games of the campaign.