Gary Neville has been "found innocent" after his comments about Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong were reported by a Twitter user in Germany.
Neville had urged De Jong to seek legal advice due to his treatment by Barcelona. The Dutch midfielder has been encouraged to take a reduction in wages, with manager Xavi reportedly reaching out personally in an effort to convince the former Ajax man to stay put.
The former Manchester United captain questioned the demands being made of De Jong in a summer which has seen Barca spend big on Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski. And the comments appeared to be too much for one Twitter user.
"De Jong should consider legal action v Barcelona and all players should be behind him!" Neville had tweeted. "A club spending fortunes on new players whilst not paying the ones they have under contract their full money is immoral and a breach. @FIFPRO should be all over bullying like this and stop it.”
The pundit then shared a screenshot, explaining that - under German law - Twitter is required to provide notice to anyone whose tweets are reported by a user based in Germany. The screenshot confirms that Neville's tweet about De Jong was the subject of the complaint, and that it was neither in breach of Twitter's rules or of German law.
"I’ve been found innocent thankfully in a German Court of Law!" was Neville's response. "Those Barca fans are sensitive."
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The Dutch player's union has also weighed in on the treatment of De Jong, who has 44 international caps for the Netherlands. The midfielder joined Barcelona in 2019, having helped Ajax reach the Champions League semi-finals, and is under contract until 2026.
"I think a union should protect all players," Evgeniy Levchenko, chairman of the Dutch players' union VVCS, told ANP. "Now a player is cornered by a club and chased away.
"Then it is up to an international union to stand up. FC Barcelona will then invoke sporting grounds, but it is disastrous for the career of a young player. That makes it a kind of extortion."
Despite Manchester United agreeing a fee for De Jong, the midfielder joined up with Barcelona for their pre-season tour of the United States. Xavi's team play their final game across the Atlantic on July 30, with two more friendlies to follow on home soil in August.
Barca's first league game of the season comes at home to Rayo Vallecano on August 13. They will also return to the Champions League after finishing second last term, and will aim higher after dropping out in the group stage in 2021-22.
Neville's former club Man Utd, meanwhile, may yet make further additions to their squad. Erik ten Hag's side have announced deals for Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, but still have a month of the transfer window to go.
