Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

The former Barcelona star, who won European Footballer of the Year three times in his career, is believed to be undergoing tests to learn the extent of the disease.

According to Spanish radio station RAC1 and newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the 68-year-old, who won three European Cups in a row with Ajax, was diagnosed with cancer last Tuesday.

In 1991, Cruyff underwent double heart bypass surgery while he was manager of Barcelona, where he won the La Liga title four times as boss.

The Dutchman's spokesman confirmed the news in a statement this afternoon.