"Many lies have been told in the press" - Barcelona star confirms he will sign new contract with lower wages
Barcelona star Jordi Alba has declared that he will sign a new contract with the Blaugrana with lower wages.
The left-back, who has established himself as a legend at the Catalan club over the years, has claimed he will be willing to lower his salary if the club asks to meet strict La Liga financial rules.
The Spain international has seen his playing time get significantly reduced this season with the emergence of youngster Alejandro Balde.
With his current deal at Camp Nou expiring next summer, the Barcelona left-back's future has been up in the air in recent months.
Jordi Alba has claimed that many lies have surfaced regarding his situation at the club but he remains completely committed to the Catalan giants. Alba told Marca in an interview:
"Yes. It's a club decision and I've always helped when asked. Many lies have been told in the press, but in the end I have always been there, no one can say otherwise."
Alba also insisted that he has been hurt by false rumors surroruding his future. He added:
"There are things that hurt, but you have to know how to live with it. I know my truth and I am very calm. My intention is to help the club and that both parties are happy."
Alba has started just 14 games across competitions for Barcelona this season while coming on from the bench on five occasions.
The Spaniard has played just 1,366 minutes of first-team football this season for Xavi Hernandez's side, having scored once and provided six assists in the process.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta shares update on club’s financial situation
Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently confirmed that the club are in a much better financial situation.
He also confirmed that that the wage bill has been significantly reduced, but they are working to reduce it even more.
Barcelona had to activate financial levers in the summer to sign players while obliging with La Liga's financial rules.
Speaking on Thursday, February 9, Laporta claimed that the club was saved by the current board after the financial crisis caused by the previous management. He said:
"I want to talk about the economic situation, I mean we saved the club, we took decisions to reduce debt and now we are under control. The financial situation is improving every day.
"We are in the process of achieving a record number of sponsorship contracts in the history of the club, as well as achieving records in stadium attendance, shirt sales, museum visits, and we are number one on social media. We have reduced the wage bill by around €100M so far, in the summer we've calculated that we will reduce another €70M."