Pique halts salary reduction after Barcelona deny him ‘business deal’ – exclusive | OneFootball

Barcelona have been working on agreeing a salary reduction with veteran defender Gerard Pique yet again this summer as they look to register their new signings.

While Jules Kounde remains the only unregistered player at the moment, Barça have plans to sign Bernardo Silva and Marcos Alonso before the window closes, meaning they will need to make cuts to their wage bill to accommodate those arrivals.

And Pique’s salary reduction would have come as a major help for the Blaugrana in that regard. The 35-year-old has shown willingness to shed a large part of his wages for this season in order to aid the player registration.

However, sources have now told Barça Universal that the talks between Pique and Barcelona over a new downward renewal have come to a screeching halt.

Recently, Barça triggered their fourth economic lever by selling 24.5% of Barça Studios to Orpheus Media, which brought in an investment of around €100 million that was crucial to registering their six stars prior to the Rayo Vallecano clash.

However, sources reveal that Pique himself had an eye on buying the 24.5% stake in Barça Studios before the sale was finalised. But club president Joan Laporta put an end to those ideas by declining the centre-back’s proposal.

It has left the former Spanish international discontent, which in turn has led to the talks of a salary reduction coming to a standstill at the moment.

Pique has had his eyes on acquiring Barça Studios in the past as well, having tried to buy 49% of Barça Corporate through his company, Kosmos, while Josep Maria Bartomeu was the president of the club.

And, it seems like he made another move to try and get his hands on the 24.5% share of Barça Studios that were up for sale, in a move would that have raised a big conflict of interest.

Having been thwarted, Pique’s downward contract renewal has been cast under doubts. Whether it affects Barcelona’s plans to sign and register more players before the window closes remains to be seen.