Pique and 2 other Barcelona superstars angered as details of Dembele's contract come to light: Reports
According to reports, Barcelona veterans Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba are angered by the details of forward Ousmane Dembele's contract that have come to light.
Busquets and Alba, along with midfielder Frenkie De Jong, have refused to lower their salaries in a bid to accommodate the club's new signings to their team. This has made them a target of criticism. Dembele's contract details might irk them in this context.
Dembele was reportedly offered a contract of £6.5 million in yearly wages in January. That figure is understood to have risen to a sum of £8.5 million in April. However, according to Toni Freiros, the Frenchman eventually signed a contract that made him earn more than the reported sum.
The 25-year-old winger has a clause in his salary that will see him earn 50 percent of the sum of a possible future fee. His current release clause is £50 million. If any club decides to spend that amount, Dembele will be given a fee of £25 million.
However, according to reports, Dembele's annual salary could potentially rise up to £20 million per season in gross income with a fixed gross salary of £16 million and add ons of up to £4 million per season.
Barcelona star Jordi Alba has fallen out of favor at the club
According to El Nacional, the Barcelona hierarchy wants manager Xavi Hernandez to drop experienced left-back Jordi Alba out of the first XI.
Alba has been an integral part of the Catalan club's first-team squad since his arrival from Valencia back in 2012. While Alba has been phenomenal during the early days of his life at the club, the Spanish star has not been at his best in recent times.
Alba has won a total of 15 trophies during his time at the club. However, the club are keen to find a replacement for the Spanish defender. They wanted to add Marcos Alonso to the roster. However, a move for the Chelsea star never materialized.
Barcelona currently sit in tenth spot in the La Liga table as they have managed only one point from their opening fixture of the season after a draw against Rayo Vallecano.
They will face Real Sociedad away in their next game. Whether Jordi Alba starts the next game for Barcelona remains to be seen.