Barcelona have confirmed that their social media accounts were hacked when a message announcing the signing of Angel di Maria was posted on Tuesday night.
The Catalan giants stunned football fans when posts on their Twitter and Facebook feeds claimed that the Argentine had completed a move to Camp Nou.
The transfer was seen as controversial given that Di Maria, who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain, spent four years at Barcelona's enemies Real Madrid.
However, it was later revealed that the announcement was fake, with security group named OurMine writing: "Hi FC Barcelona, it's OurMine (Security Group), please contact us - ourmine.org -> Contact Us, and sorry for the hoax."
The Catalan giants also took to social media to clear up the confusion. The club posted: "Tonight our accounts have been hacked. We are working to fix it as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience."
Meanwhile, Barcelona are believed to be preparing a fourth bid worth £138m for Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho.
Danielle Joynson
