Sandro Rosell, former Barcelona FC President, has been accused of organ trafficking amid claims he bought a liver

Barcelona FC's former President is being investigated by Spanish police amid sensational claims he illegally bought a liver for one of his players.

Sandro Rosell is accused of acquiring the liver for ex-defender Eric Abidal in 2012 when he needed a transplant after developing cancer.

At the time the donor was named as a cousin called Gerard who lived in France, but now three phone calls intercepted by Spanish police suggest Rosell acquired the organ on the black market.

Police sent the calls to a judge who ordered them to open a new investigation into Rosell, who is already in jail accused of money laundering.

The calls were published by Spanish newspaper El Confidencial.

The case began in March 2011 when Abidal, who was a fan favourite at the club having played for them since 2007, was diagnosed with liver cancer.

He was forced to miss the team's Champion's League semi-final as he underwent surgery to remove the tumor, but returned to the pitch the same month for the final.

However, the following year the cancer returned and he underwent a full liver transplant.

Questions were raised at the time about the identity of the donor after the club announced it was a cousin called Gerard, whom nobody had previously heard of.

Rosell (right) was said to have acquired the liver for defender Eric Abidal (left) in 2012 when he required a transplant after developing cancer the year before

At the time Abidal (pictured left in 2012, right in 2018) said the liver had come from a cousin called Gerard who lived in France, with Barcelona refusing to release more details about him

However, Barcelona swept the questions aside, refusing to release any more details about the cousin 'to protect his privacy'.

Abidal eventually left Barcelona in 2013 and has since claimed he was forced out by Rosell, and blasted the way the President treated him in several interviews.

One of the more recent salvos came in April 2017 when he gave an interview to French newspaper L'Equipe.

In the interview he said he 'needed' to keep playing for Barcelona at the time, did not understand why he had been forced out so soon after surgery, and said only Rosell could answer those questions.

'I would like him to say it at last, ask him, he lives in Qatar,' Abidal said.

That allegedly caused outrage from Rosell, who had three angry phone calls with an unknown associate as they fumed about his comments.

In the first phone call, made on April 20, a day after the interview was published, Rosell is speaking with an unknown man about Abidal's comments.

The unnamed caller tells Rosell that Bartomeu, Rosell's successor at Barcelona, calling Abidal a 'son of a b****' after the interview came out.

He then says: 'It is against us... this guy we bought an illegal liver.

Abidal (left) was forced out of Barcelona in 2013 and blamed Rosell (centre) for his departure for years after. In 2017, Rosell allegedly had a series of phone calls in which he fumed about Abidal's comments and discussed 'saving his life' by buying a liver

'And we said it was from the cousin, it was from the cousin! We paid him two years of contract, what he had left.'

Rosell can be heard replying 'yes, yes, yes', according to El Confidencial.

A week later, Rosell then had a phone call with a man named only as Juanjo in which they again call Abidal a 'son of a b****' and Rosell mentions 'saving his life', it is reported.

The following day Rosell allegedly had another call with Juanjo, in which Juanjo reveals he has spoken with Abidal.

Juanjo says he has told the defender that Rosell feels 'badly treated' and also conveyed the message that 'if you're here talking to me is because you have a new liver, you understand?', according to reports.

Junajo also insists he told Abidal: 'Abidal, if you're sitting here talking to me, it's because someone bought you a liver, huh? And do not make me talk anymore, huh?'

The calls were intercepted as part of a probe into Rosell's alleged money laundering, for which he was arrested and jailed in March 2017.

He remains in jail, and is now facing a second investigation for organ trafficking.

His lawyers initially said they were not aware of the allegations, but it was unlikely that an illegal liver could be brought for a transplant at a public hospital, such as the one where Abidal had surgery.

Barcelona FC has since categorically denied 'that there was any type of irregularity in the treatment, operation or transplant' of Abidal's liver.

After Rosell's arrest he was replaced by Josep Maria Bartomeu, who has since encouraged Abidal back to the club - first in an ambassadorial role, which he took in 2017, and now as sporting director.

Abidal was said to be reluctant to work with Bartomeu's board at first, but relented.