Ernesto Valverde has spoken out on rumours that Pep Guardiola directly contacted Frenkie De Jong over a move to Manchester City, prior to him signing for Barcelona.
The Catalan side confirmed the signing of the Ajax midfielder last week, with the 21 year-old due to link up with his new side in July, however he has been the subject of widespread transfer speculation for months.
One of the interested parties being Guardiola's City, and it is rumoured that the former Barcelona coach contacted De Jong directly, to try and persuade him.
That alleged approach has drawn criticism from Valverde.
"Talking with a player that is under contract with another club is something that can't be done.
"Doing something like that is not in my personal code, however, it is true that everyone has their own way of acting in these situations."
De Jong will remain in the Netherlands for the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign, and Valverde added that his involvement next season will be performance-based.
"Everything is dependent on De Jong, and how he performs. He will need to adapt, despite coming from a club with a similar philosophy to Barcelona.
"He is young, and that needs to be taken into account, but we are always looking to bring in players that can improve us."
