Barcelona and Frenkie de Jong are yet to sort out their transfer wrangle.
Manchester United and Chelsea have been linked with signing the Netherlands international, but the player have so far opted against moving to Old Trafford and is keen on signing for Chelsea.
However, De Jong is being owed wages of £17m, and he has also refused to take a pay cut, much to the annoyance of the club and fans who booed him last week.
Premier League veteran Gary Lineker has accused Barcelona of treating Frenkie de Jong like ‘a piece of meat’ amid the ongoing transfer saga.
He said: “I feel for Frenkie a bit.
“He’s been treated a bit like a piece of meat in the whole thing for circumstances totally out of his control.
“He’s a gifted young player and it’s very important for him he doesn’t go somewhere he doesn’t want to go.
“He has the playing cards in his hand in that sense. He will have to be quite strong. It is so weird.
“Barcelona seemingly want him but something has to give and it just seems a shame for it to end up like this.”
Chelsea are still being linked with De Jong, but it’s yet to see how this will eventually unfold before the end of the summer transfer window.