Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has reiterated the club’s innocence of tax fraud in the signing of Neymar and insisted the operation to bring the Brazil forward to the Catalan capital was “completely legal”.

In the latest twist to a saga that prompted Bartomeu’s predecessor, Sandro Rosell, to step down last month, a Madrid court on Thursday charged the Spanish champions with defrauding the tax authority.

The club was forced on the defensive after a member filed a complaint against Rosell alleging misappropriation of funds and when details of Neymar’s move from Santos to Barca came to light the judge overseeing the case granted the public prosecutor’s request to lay charges for tax fraud.

“We are very comfortable because the contract is completely normal,” Bartomeu told reporters yesterday.

“We took advice, ourselves, the player, Santos, and we did everything legally,” he added.

“We now intend to explain the nature of the negotiation and what the contracts are and we will show that they are completely legal.

“Everything that was done was done correctly. We would do the same again.”