Former Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has been called to testify in a court in Catalonia’s capital, El Mundo reports. He is involved in an investigation concerning multimillion-euro commission payments linked to player transfers.
The probe was launched by current Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who accused Bartomeu of inflating commissions and conducting questionable financial operations that allegedly cost the club around €30 million.
The disputed issues relate to Malcom’s transfer from Bordeaux in summer 2018, which included a €10 million commission clause. Malcom was later sold to Zenit. Laporta also pointed to a suspicious €15 million payment to Atletico Madrid in connection with Antoine Griezmann’s transfer. He suggested the funds might have been paid to secure Atletico’s confirmation in court that negotiations had begun before Griezmann’s contract expired.
Bartomeu led Barcelona from 2014 to 2020, during which time the club won La Liga and the Champions League.
After six rounds of the 2025-26 La Liga season, Barcelona top the table with 19 points. Their next match is against Sevilla on October 5 at 17:15 GMT+3.
