Barcelona president Joan Laporta has responded to Gary Neville's criticism of their management of Frenkie De Jong.

The former Manchester United captain has lambasted the current Barca board over their handling of De Jong's preferred wages over the past two seasons.

Laporta said: "I respect Neville's opinion, he was a very good player.

"But in my opinion, Gary is wrong, because, I insist, we respect all our players. If we invest in new players, we do it just to make the club more competitive.

"It's kind of a vicious circle: by investing in new players, you engage fans, which in turn improves your economy."