Barcelona president Joan Laporta insists Ilkay Gundogan's exit was a sporting decision rather than a financial one, despite claims to the contrary from the midfielder.
Gundogan joined Barca as a free agent last year after helping Manchester City win a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble, only to return to the Etihad Stadium last month.
In a farewell post on social media, Gundogan claimed Barca's financial concerns were at least partly responsible for his return to England.
Barca have struggled to meet LaLiga's strict salary cap rules in recent seasons and would reportedly have failed to register new signing Dani Olmo if not for Gundogan's exit.
Laporta, however, has refuted those claims, instead suggesting Olmo's move from RB Leipzig made Gundogan's place in Hansi Flick's tactical plans unclear.
"The decision on Gundogan's departure was not made because of economic factors," Laporta told reporters.
"He was an excellent player and person in the year he had here with us. With all due respect, we decided on a sporting level.
"Following the signing of Dani Olmo, the role of Gundogan was not clear, because they shared a very similar position."
Barcelona have made a flying start to their first campaign under Flick, winning all four of their matches to sit top of LaLiga, boasting a four-point lead over Real Madrid.
The Blaugrana have previously started 10 seasons in LaLiga with four straight victories, going on to capture the title in nine of those instances and only failing in 2013-14, when Atletico Madrid were champions.
Robert Lewandowski leads the goalscoring charts with four strikes in as many games, sitting one clear of team-mate Raphinha – who netted a hat-trick in Saturday's 7-0 rout of Real Valladolid.
Laporta has revealed Lewandowski offered to take a wage cut in order to help Barca meet LaLiga's rules and has backed his third season in Spain to be his best yet.
"I see Robert as more motivated than ever. Robert needed this new boost, he is in very good physical shape and he looks very excited," he said.
"He is a player committed to the club, I can assure you of that. When he heard that to reach 'fair play' we might need some effort, he offered his contract. I appreciated it very much, but I told him that it was not necessary.
"He is very demanding with the team, with himself and with his team-mates’ performance. I am sure that this will be Lewandowski's best year."
Chelsea confirm Angelo exit to Al-Nassr in £19.4m transfer
Angelo Gabriel has completed a permanent transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr from Chelsea.
Angelo has signed a five-year contract with the Saudi outfit, who are captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, for a reported £19.4million transfer fee.
Chelsea have also included a sell-on clause as part of their agreement with Al-Nassr.
The 19-year-old Brazilian arrived at Stamford Bridge last year from Santos in a £13m deal, but spent last campaign on loan with Strasbourg.
He made 25 appearances in all competitions, notching four assists, but only 11 of his 22 league outings came as starts as he missed the end of the term with a groin injury.
Angelo became the 11th permanent departure from the club as the Blues ended their transfer window with a net spend of £46.5m.
Chelsea confirm Angelo exit to Al Nassr in £19.4m move
Angelo Gabriel has completed a permanent transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr from Chelsea.
Angelo has signed a five-year contract with the Saudi outfit, who are captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, for a reported £19.4million transfer fee.
Chelsea have also included a sell-on clause as part of their agreement with Al-Nassr.
The 19-year-old Brazilian arrived at Stamford Bridge last year from Santos in a £13m deal, but spent last campaign on loan with Strasbourg.
He made 25 appearances in all competitions, notching four assists, but only 11 of his 22 league outings came as starts as he missed the end of the term with a groin injury.
Angelo became the 11th permanent departure from the club as the Blues ended their transfer window with a net spend of £46.5m.
Lewis creates British history with Sao Paulo loan move
Jamal Lewis has become the first British player to sign for Sao Paulo as his season-long loan move from Newcastle United was confirmed on Tuesday.
Lewis, who spent last season with Watford in the Championship, has signed with the Brazilian side for the upcoming campaign with a view to make the move permanent.
The Northern Ireland international made 36 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle following his £15million move from Norwich in 2020.
But Lewis fell quickly out of favour, and during the 2021-22 Premier League season, was even omitted from the 25-player squad list for the remainder of the term.
The 26-year-old's final appearance for the Magpies came as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the 2023, but he expressed his excitement about his new chapter.
"When I heard about this opportunity, I told my manager straight away that I'd like to come to Brazil," Lewis said in a statement on Sao Paulo's website.
"It's an honour to play for a giant like Sao Paulo and be the first British player in the club's history.
"It's an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I'm looking forward to meeting the fans and contributing to the team."
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