Barcelona legend Rivaldo has slammed the club after they confirmed the £15m signing of Danish forward Martin Braithwaite from Leganes.
The La Liga giants were given permission by the authorities to make a signing outside the transfer window following the serious injury sustained by Ousmane Dembele, who is out for the rest of the season.
Leganes and other La Liga teams are furious that Barcelona have been given permission to go forward with the deal, and speaking to Betfair Rivaldo also stated his disapproval.
"Honestly, I don't agree with it and I don't understand this signing," the Brazilian said.
"And I don't like it for a couple of reasons. First, that they signed him outside of the transfer market and because Barcelona should have picked a guy from La Masia for this.
"Also, the team is starting to show signs of improvement and I don't see any major reasons to force the signing of a striker. With all due respect, I have my doubts he is the player Barcelona need right now."
Braithwaite, 28, has scored six goals in 24 appearances in La Liga this season for Leganes, who are struggling against relegation down in 19th place, and Rivaldo expressed his sympathy for the Madrid-based club.
He added: "I was thinking of a younger player with more room for improvement. They've taken him from a club trying to avoid relegation. They will surely be damaged by all this."
Braithwaite spent two seasons at Middlesbrough between 2017-2019, and the Denmark international expressed his delight upon signing the deal to join Barca.
"I'm really excited and it's a childhood dream come true," he said. "Everyone who wants to play football dreams of playing for Barcelona and I'm really excited to win titles."
Braithwaite could make his debut when Barcelona host Eibar in La Liga on Saturday.
