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Barça can only spend 98 million on salaries; the Madrid, 739

BarcelonaThe League has confirmed the financial problems that Barça had in the summer to make this season’s squad. After a few months marked by the concept of “salary cap”, and which, among other things, ended up being key to the farewell of Leo Messi, the club’s employers have announced the maximum figure that the Barça club currently has to pay the footballers. They are less than 100 million. Exactly, 97.9. A cut of more than 70% over last season (then they were 347 million limit). And, obviously, well below the 671 of the autumn of 2019. If at that time Barça was the club that could invest more in sports salaries in the League, it is now the seventh.

This data, obtained through a calculation from the budget, non-sporting expenditure and the debt of the club, does not affect the players who are already in the squad but the new additions. Thus, it is explained that the club could only be strengthened with players at zero cost (with the letter of freedom) and that it would work with the best paid players to adapt their salary to the possibilities of an entity that, although already accumulating a significant debt before the coronavirus, has been one step away from having to declare bankruptcy with the pandemic crisis. In fact, if no agreement had been reached with players like Piqué, just before the market closed, footballers like Depay, Eric Garcia, Luuk de Jong and Agüero would not have been able to register for the competition.

Piqué greeted Laporta on the day the lawyer took office as president.

The figure hurts, especially when compared to what I could afford just a couple of years ago (from 671 then to 98 now). And, also, if we take into account that Real Madrid not only leads the ranking of clubs that can spend the most, but also increases the margin with 739 million limit to spend, well above the 473 that was assigned in January of the year past. Madrid leads the list, followed by Sevilla (200), Atletico Madrid (172), Villarreal (159), Real Sociedad (128) and Athletic Club (112). Barça is seventh, and Espanyol is eighth, with almost 78 million (77.8).

Espanyol, 20 million from Barça

The data is surprising, because Espanyol, beyond being a historic team, has just been promoted from the Second Division. But it is that the calculations are not based on the curriculum in the League, but on the profit and loss account. And the white-and-blues, who did a capital increase, have been able to raise the limit thanks to that extra money. In contrast, last season’s debt and red numbers have suffocated other historic entities. Apart from Barça, it is surprising that Valencia is the last, with only 31 million limits, a third of the 93 that could be spent last year.

However, in the same way that the revision of the salary limit has harmed Barça and put it, theoretically, against the ropes, the Barça club is confident that it will be able to go back quickly and have more limits for the following years. Now Barça’s spending on salaries (salaries and redemptions) is well above the 97.9 it has authorized and, therefore, could not register any footballer. But the Camp Nou offices are fully convinced that they will be able to carry out a level operation in the summer of 2022.

A reversible situation

Everything is based on three concepts. The formulation of last season’s accounts, in which some players were devalued – the part pending amortization came to be considered losses. Then, the salary reduction of the best paid players – with some already completed. And, finally, the club’s ability to generate more revenue during this year, either because the doors of the Camp Nou have been reopened or so that a new sponsorship agreement can be closed in the coming months. Thus, there is hope that this wage limitation, so restrictive at the moment, will begin to go back to mid-season, which is when the League will update the data once the winter market is closed.

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