BARCELONA’S crisis situation looks set to go from bad to worse after the club were told by LaLiga they will need to slash their salary bill by £57MILLION.
The Spanish giants have underwhelmed in the league this season, sitting in third place behind Girona and eight points behind league leaders Real Madrid.
But that gap may stretch over the next few years after Barcelona’s financial situation got even worse amid a feared exodus of players.
LaLiga announced the Blaugrana would be having their permitted salary limit cut down from £231m to 174m for the 2024/25 season.
With the club’s real squad cost – the total of salaries and transfer amortisations – for this season officially budgeted at £421m, they are some way over budget and will need to make significant cuts.
Add to this the fact Uefa are not accepting Barcelona’s plea to accept future media sale revenues in their FFP calculations, which could yet land the club a Champions League ban, and you have a far-from-ideal scenario.
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It means Barcelona will need to sell a host of their most valuable players to stay in line with the rules or face a transfer ban.
And all this will happen while having to also convince a new manager to come in and take the reigns after club legend Xavi Hernandez announced he was stepping down at the end of the season.
Big names who have been linked with the exit door include but are not limited to Frenkie de Jong – who remains on a colossal wage – Robert Lewandowski, Gavi, Raphinha, Ronald Araujo and Pedri.
De Jong was linked with a summer departure to Manchester United two seasons ago before the move fell flat due to the Dutchman’s lack of stomach for a move.
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However, recent reports suggest the 26-year-old has changed his tune and is now open to an Old Trafford switch.
With his contract up in 2026, Barca still have £65m to amortise when considering the transfer fee they paid to Ajax and the remaining value on his contract.
So if Man Utd come calling again they will smell a chance to make some money back, though De Jong is also said to be settled in Spain.
Robert Lewandowski seems to have finally hit the other side of the mountain in his remarkable football career.
He has been average this season despite four goals in his last three league games, and according to The Athletic “multiple sources” at the club would accept an offer for the 35-year-old forward.
The Pole is reported to be earning a cool £22m a year, wages Barca would love to shift for a star on the decline particularly if Saudi Arabia were to reignite their interest in him.
However, like De Jong Lewandowski is said to be happy in Catalonia.
The likes of Pedri and Gavi are among the club’s most valuable assets.
Selling even one of them would likely go a long way in easing the crippling situation Barcelona find themselves in.
Who will be Barcelona’s next manager
WHEN even a club legend like Xavi Hernandez feels he has to get out of the Nou Camp kitchen because he cannot take the heat any more, you do have to wonder if Barca are now a basket case.
Whoever comes in will have to deal with a cash crisis that could yet see the Catalan giants banned from the Champions League next season – Uefa are still refusing to allow Barca to count the sale of future media revenues in their FFP calculations.
Mikel Arteta emphatically denied suggestions that he was ready to leave Arsenal for his homeland. But, in the words of a famous ex-model: He would do, wouldn’t he?
Win the Prem – or the Champions League – with the Gunners and Arteta might feel he has accomplished all that is possible in N5.
However, Barca will also be looking at Alonso and De Zerbi, as well as former Bayern and Germany coach Hansi Flick.
And there is at least one, potentially two, Champions League-winning managers who might fancy the challenge…
Gavi, 19, has already been linked with a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain after Kylian Mbappe confirmed once and for all that he was leaving this summer.
His £855m release clause likely won’t be triggered and Barcelona do see him as “unsellable”, but when the chips are down in football, money talks.
Former Premier League star Raphinha seems to be a no-brainer sale option for the club given his dwindling importance after the emergence of Lamine Yamal and the form of Ferran Torres.
The ex-Leeds star has already been linked with the likes of Chelsea and Man Utd, who could come knocking once again if they find out he is available in the summer.
Araujo can consider himself unfortunate to be arguably the club’s most lucrative defensive asset.
It is not that he is not wanted at the Camp Nou, far from it, but it is that there are far too many options already in the position.
And with a host of clubs including Bayern Munich sniffing around at the 24-year-old’s availability, it may end up coming down to a financial call from the club’s point of view.
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Premier League clubs will no doubt be keeping tabs on the situation in case any other stars become available.
Add to all of this that Real Madrid will be able to spend almost £450m more in wages next year, and you have a recipe for domination likely does not feature Barcelona being the top dog.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
