Five Barcelona players 'tested positive for coronavirus but LaLiga kept the results hidden

Five of Barcelona's first-team stars tested positive for coronavirus but the news was not made public, Daily Mail has reported.

Catalan radio station RAC1 made the accusation in its programme Tu Diras this week as Barca and the rest of LaLiga prepare to resume the season from June 11.

The five players were not named during the broadcast, although it was claimed that the positive tests were returned towards the start of the crisis.

It was claimed that each of the players showed no symptoms of the disease and were only aware they were positive after undergoing blood tests.

RAC1's claims, which were later backed up by Spanish football programme El Chiringuito de Jugones, also included the fact that two of Barca's staff tested positive.

All five players who were affected have recovered from the virus and are now believed to be back in full training.

However, local media have suggested that club officials are concerned that the quintet could be more susceptible to injury as a result.

The Spanish champions did not disclose the information to the public and are yet to comment on RAC1's report.

But AS report that Barca believe it would have been the responsibility of LaLiga to decide whether to make the test results known. 

Barcelona will return to action away at Mallorca on June 13 after the Spanish government gave LaLiga the green light to return this month.

Spain has been one of the hardest-hit countries during the pandemic, with around 240,000 confirmed cases and over 27,000 deaths. 

However, on Monday officials reported that there had been no new Covid-19 related deaths in Spain for the first time since March. 

Last week, Messi opened up on his struggles during Spain's lockdown, which has been gradually eased, and suggested football - and life - 'will not be the same'.

'Nearly all of us have the doubt about how the world will be after everything that has happened,' he told El Pais Semanal.

Beyond the lockdown and the situation that caught us by surprise, many people have had a really bad time because the situation has affected them in some way, like with those that lost friends and family without even being able to say goodbye.

'I think there have been many negatives in this crisis, but there cannot be anything worse than losing the people you love the most, that frustrates me hugely and seems unfair on everyone.

'I don't think football, like life in general, will be the same.'