Gerard pix
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique with his pop star wife Shakira Reuters

Reports that Colombian songstress Shakira and her Barcelona footballer partner Gerard Pique are being blackmailed over an alleged sex tape are making the rounds online.

According to Spanish news outlet Diario Vasco, a former employee of the Hips Don't Lie hitmaker and the defender is asking for a "large sum of money" to prevent the alleged recording being leaked. The supposed smutty clip is said to show the power couple "engaged in sexual acts".

The report adds that neither Pique, 28, or Shakira, 38, have so far commented on the allegations, which have also been largely ignored by mainstream Spanish news outlets.

Under Spanish law any dissemination of intimate material is punishable with imprisonment of one to five years. An insider has IBTimes UK that the claims of the video's existence are "entirely untrue".

IBTimes UK has reached out to the couple's representatives for comment and is awaiting reply.

Shakira started dating Pique after he appeared in the video for her single Waka Waka (This Time for Africa), the official song for 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.The couple have two sons, Milan and Sasha, together.

The report comes just two weeks after Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema was formally charged in connection with an alleged sex tape blackmail plot against France international teammate Mathieu Valbuena.