Arsene Wenger has claimed a European Super League is being devised as a plot to “destroy” the Premier League.
After Project Big Picture’s resounding failure, there have been increasing reports that the “big six” in England’s top-flight could force a breakaway league.
Top clubs from the Premier League, will join teams from France, Germany, Italy and Spain if talks are successful, with a proposed 18-team league on the agenda.
Outgoing Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu revealed the La Liga giants have already agreed to join the league, which could start as soon as 2022.
“Today I can announce a piece of news that will extraordinarily change the club’s revenue prospects for the coming years,” said the departing chief.
“The board of directors yesterday approved the acceptance of the requirements to participate in a future European super league of football clubs, a project promoted by the big clubs in Europe."
But Wenger, who is now employed as FIFA’s head of global football development, has said that a new European League is only being discussed in order to remove the Premier League’s financial advantage.
“The Premier League has a superiority,” he told the Guardian. “The Project (Big Picture) wanted to reinforce this superiority.
“The other leagues try to destroy the advantage the Premier League has.
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“For them, the best thing to attain is to create a European league. So that means to destroy the Premier League, basically.
“So if they get the agreement from the English big clubs, it will happen.
Asked if it was simply a business decision, he added: “It is football as well. But of course, we are in the period of owners who are investors.
“What are investors’ first target? It’s to make more money. And so that the European Super League is one way maybe to make more money.”
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