With the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies have been affected by an unprecedented financial crisis. Obviously, football clubs have not escaped the rule and on the side of Spain, FC Barcelona has been hit hard. It must be said that the previous years have also been an ordeal for the Blaugranas, with sometimes a calamitous management of the leaders. Former President Josep Maria Bartomeu has often taken it for his rank. So obviously, when recruiting during the mercatos, there is a problem since Barça does not necessarily have a lot of money.
Last summer, when Lionel Messi wanted to extend his lease in Catalonia, the FCB was blocked by LaLiga and its president Javier Tebas, who oversee the clubs’ payroll. Result, “La Pulga” left for PSG. And this problem is likely to come back for big transfers, like that of Erling Haaland. This is nothing new, the Blaugranas want to recruit the Norwegian cyborg from Borussia Dortmund, who wishes to keep him for one more year, but it’s going to be expensive, very expensive. And if he wants to take action, President Joan Laporta will have to apply some rules.
Barça must recover 500M!
In an interview with SPORT At the 4th Sports Values Gala, LaLiga boss Javier Tebas made it clear what the Spanish club need to do in order to eventually get their hands on the 21-year-old. “The problem is that FC Barcelona has a very high payroll due, above all, to losses from the previous year: 487 million euros. This penalizes him considerably with regard to the payroll because, in this situation, he must work according to the rule of 1/4, he explained before continuing. Barça must get out of this 1/4 rule to sign a signing as important as Haaland’s. We all know what they say they are asking for a salary and what Borussia Dortmund are asking for. It is not in the possibilities of FC Barcelona with the rule of 1/4. “
So what is this 1/4 rule? A club that has too much payroll will simply be able to spend around 25% of what it enters, or saves, to recruit a player. But with figures over € 100m, this rule is already impossible for Barça. So, Javier Tebas has another solution: “He must recover almost all of the losses he suffered and it is very complicated, because we are talking about nearly 500 million euros.” So all that remains is to work behind the scenes to eventually bring Haaland back to Catalonia. But Tebas has already warned Laporta. “He knows what to do and that the situation is complicated. I have already given him my recommendations. He knows that he has a lot of work ahead of him and that there must be departures and also arrivals. It’s not easy for FC Barcelona, no … “
