Barcelona defender Gerard Pique believes former president Josep Maria Bartomeu is behind claims he's the squad's top earner.

n his rebuttal of the claim he earned €14million net (£11.7m) a season, Pique tweeted that it came from someone 'defending his friends' – a clear indication he believed the wages leak came from the previous board and from Bartomeu, says the Daily Mail.

The club's former president has always been keen on blaming the players for the current state of affairs and not of his own stewardship of the club.

Pique published his wage slip on Twitter on Friday night. The figure of approximately €2.3m (£1.94m) suggests he earns around €6m (€5m) in total, a long way short of the €14m claimed.

Salaries are a more sensitive subject at Barcelona than ever before because the club needs to slash its wage bill to register new players. Pique took a wage cut at the start of the season to enable Barcelona to register Memphis Depay.