Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has suggested Spanish clubs are distorting players' salaries, telling Sport Bild that Real Madrid have a "clear business model" to stop elite players moving to the Premier League.
Rummenigge has spoken on numerous occasions over concerns about English football's wealth, saying last year that the new Premier League TV package was "a great threat to all other European leagues," but he warned that La Liga sides are also offering players wages far in excess of those from the Bundesliga.
"Premier League clubs are not the only threat when it comes to astronomical wages, but also Spain," Rummenigge, who is also the chairman of the European Club Association (ECA), said.
"Real Madrid has just extended three contracts and [Cristiano] Ronaldo will supposedly take home €20.5 million after tax. No Bundesliga player makes that kind of money before tax."
Ronaldo followed ex-Bayern midfielder Toni Kroos and Wales international Gareth Bale in recently signing a new deal at the Champions League holders.
Rummenigge, 61, added: "There's a clear business model behind this. Namely, they [Madrid] don't want English clubs poaching their players.
"We both know our friend [Madrid president] Florentino Perez. He hates it when any player that he rates highly receives an offer -- especially from England."
"Danger comes from @LaLiga, not from the @premierleague!" #Rummenigge + #Watzke exclusive today in @SPORTBILD #BVBFCB #fcb #bvb #ceo pic.twitter.com/2h3yO2nx0I
- Michael Reis (@donreisino) November 16, 2016
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, also interviewed in Sport Bild, agreed that there was an issue with the top La Liga sides.
"Bayern and BVB will only encounter problems with Barcelona or Real," he said. "The rest of the Bundesliga will have to compete with ordinary English [Premier League] clubs.
"Our players won't move to a Stoke City. But there are many Bundesliga players who would if they could double or triple their salary."
In a poll of Bundesliga players published by kicker magazine in January, 45.9 percent of participants said they would move to the Premier League if offered a significantly better salary, 36.1 percent said it was possible and only 15.6 percent said they would not.