Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has hit back at Gerard Pique over the I3 Ventures controversy.

In an interview last weeek, Pique accused the board of hiring the PR company to criticise himself, Xavi and Leo Messi online.

But Bartomeu insisted yesterday: "We love (Piqué), but it is not true that the club, as he said would spend money to criticise players on social media. An audit confirms it. And I'm not saying it, the audit says so.

"I am very happy that he has renewed and adapted his salary to the income of the club.

"And, as I said in the case of Messi, I am not going to argue with the players in public. They have my doors open and sometimes I go to their houses."