Gerard Pique Posts Screenshot Of Bank Transfer After Being Called Out For Pay Cut

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has posted images of a bank transfer to his social media account - to prove he's actually taken a pay cut this season.

The 34-year-old had his alleged wages leaked to Spanish journalist Lluis Canut, as did teammates Sergi Busquets and Jordi Alba.

It was claimed Pique is still being paid £450,000-per-week, making him one of the club's highest earners.

Pique took to Twitter and called out Canut with a message alongside his most recent payslip.

He said: "Characters like this charging for public television to defend their friends. Here are 50% of my payroll earned on December 30th. Respect yourself a little."

Pique's bank statement shows a fee of around €2.3 million for the entire year meaning it falls well short of being paid nearly half a million a year.

Barcelona's inflated wage bill is what saw the departure of Lionel Messi last summer and they currently can't register January signing Ferran Torres.

The Catalan giants have released a statement defending their senior players and called the accusations 'erroneous'.

It reads: "It is false that the aforementioned players have only deferred 100% of their salary. Messrs. Piqué, Busquets and Alba gave up part of their salary when they signed the last contract renewal last summer.

"We consider it inappropriate, unprofessional and that it has acted in bad faith when this information is offered as true and truthful and we regret that data of this type is provided that affects the personal rights of the players and that deserves, when they are true, the highest confidentiality."

Pique has made 16 appearances in La Liga this campaign playing a key role under former manager Ronald Koeman and new boss Xavi.

Barcelona are currently fifth in the table and are unbeaten in their last four, although two of those have been draws.

Torres and club legend Dani Alves have joined the club in January while Philippe Coutinho went the other way, confirming a loan move to Aston Villa on Friday.

Coutinho will only be paid 65 per cent of his wages at Villa Park and told Barcelona to not make up the extra 35 per cent.

"It says a lot about him that he wanted to leave to get more minutes," Xavi said ahead of this evening's clash with Granada.

"His salary has been reduced. He is a great professional and he wants to succeed. He was struggling here and he has looked for a solution."