Ex-Barcelona director accuses club of ‘selling smoke’ with claims of transfers for four stars including Bernardo Silva
A FORMER Barcelona director has accused the club of “selling smoke” by telling fans they are ready to sign four top players.
Toni Freixa hit out at his old club on social media by warning star-struck supporters not to expect anyone through the Nou Camp door this summer.
That’s because Barcelona are broke and their finances are fried.
President Joan Laporta said this month that he plans on bringing some big names to Catalonia – despite Barca’s reported £1BILLION debt.
Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Leeds’ Raphinha and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde are all targets for boss Xavi Hernandez.
And Laporta revealed Barca members had voted in favour of a cash injection by selling off part of their merchandising arm – as well as some TV rights.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
But Freixa believes Laporta is all talk and no action by telling fans that Xavi will not be landing any of his preferred targets.
He tweeted: “You know that Lewandowski, or Kounde, or Raphinha, or Bernardo Silva will not come? You know, right?”
Freixa was then invited to Cadena COPE’S El Partidazo to clarify his comments.
But he simply doubled down on his angry tweet.
Most read in Football
SUN BINGO GET £50 BONUS & 50 FREE SPINS TODAY
Freixa explained: “I don’t buy the talk of Barcelona’s signings. They are blatantly selling smoke.
“What they say clashes with reality and I have no choice but to warn people that this is not going to happen.
“One could come in case a player is sold. It sells much more to say that Bernardo Silva is coming. If we want to sell the bike, let’s sell it, I don’t buy it.
“I’m going a bit against the tide, what is convenient now at Barcelona is to generate an illusion.”
Freixa’s comments came after Laporta admitted Barcelona need cash quickly to compete next season.
He said: “Barcelona is a Formula One car with no fuel and a seized-up engine.
“We need to do this because we have been making losses for years, we have inherited a very difficult situation.
“I do not want to keep looking back. It’s important to make a profit because if we continue to make losses our competitors see us as weak.
“And not only them but people with power in regulatory bodies systematically and obsessively put obstacles in our way.”
But former agent Jose Maria Minguella, who worked on numerous big Barcelona deals, has warned the club they must be more prudent with future signings.
He said: “I warned about the horrendous sporting management we have suffered when the club threw money at Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann.
Read More on The Sun
“I want to warn now that the signings are key. Not everyone can sign players.
“From signing well or badly you either succeed or go bankrupt. You don’t need to be clever to sign Lewandowski now but you do to sign him when he is only 22.”