Marco van Basten claims Johan Cruyff would be 'ashamed' of Barcelona
Marco van Basten has claimed the legendary Johan Cruyff would be 'ashamed' to see how Barcelona have conducted business this summer.
Barça have around €1.3bn in debt but have so far spent over €150m on transfer fees, activating various economic 'levers' to bring in cash and fund their recruitment.
Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong has also endured a tough summer, with Manchester United keen to do a deal and Barça keen to get him off their books - mainly due to the €17m they owe the Dutchman in deferred wages.
The late Cruyff was a revolutionary figure at both Ajax and Barcelona and remains one of the game's most influential figures. Van Basten worked with him at Ajax and claimed the three-time Ballon d'Or winner would not agree with some of the measures taken by Barça in recent months.
He said: “I think Johan Cruyff would have been ashamed to see how Barça have behaved today. In my opinion, the behaviour of FC Barcelona has been well below their standards.”
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The Catalan giants have signed Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie this summer, but major outgoings have been kept to a minimum.
The new arrivals made a disappointing start to the new La Liga season on Saturday, drawing a blank in front of goal and being held to a goalless draw at Camp Nou by Rayo Vallecano.