Directly, but without naming them, Barcelona club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Matteo Alemani again targeted the team leaders and players with high-paid contracts, because of their delayed salaries due to the “Covid-19” epidemic.

Although the players have not been named, they have become known, and they are 5 whose wages are very high: Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Frenkie de Jong and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

For a long time, the club has been trying to reduce its salary bill and provide more space for contracting players.

Barcelona captains contracts

The players - including the four leaders: Pique, Busquets, Alba, and Der Stegen - defend themselves by saying that they have already given up their money and postponed their salaries when the club asked them to do so due to reduced incomes due to the “Covid-19” epidemic.

It seems that they do not want to give up any more money, which is their right because those contracts are signed and the club must accept them.

It is true that these contracts took place during the tenure of former President Josep Maria Bartomeu, and with some very questionable standards, but the contracts are perfectly legal.

Alemani said - last Sunday - that "the goal is their departure", and these words did not make the players happy.

Barcelona first began the diplomatic path, and tried - behind the scenes - to persuade the players to give up the money, but he did not reach an agreement.

The Frenkie de Jong case

The case of Dutch star Frenkie de Jong also has its own problems, which is why the club tried to get rid of him by any means possible in the summer, because of his high salary in the contract.

However, the Dutch international did not want to leave despite the club's pressure to do so, as he is no longer a regular player.

The Barca administration is heading for another strategy, which is to clearly disclose the problem to the public and the club.

Prior to that, Laporta and Alemani had talked about the issue of the high salaries of some players at a meeting of the Catalan club's board of directors.