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The slab that Laporta and Alemany want to fix to return to the first European level

BarcelonaFranck Kessié, Andreas Christensen and Pablo Torre -who, a priori, will have a record of the subsidiary-. These are the three new faces that Barça have already announced for the 2022-23 season. The biggest signings – Robert Lewandowski, Jules Koundé, Raphinha or Bernardo Silva – will have to wait. First, for Barça to activate the second lever: the sale of 15% more television rights. An operation, however, which, as Joan Laporta warned yesterday, will not take place until after 15 July.

Before that, it is necessary to get Goldman Sachs, Barça’s lender, to also accept that Barça can give this 15% more, as the club has this concept as a guarantee with the American fund. “It simply came to our notice then. We can’t run, but we do want it to go fast. Before July 15, I doubt that we will close it, it will be more towards the second fortnight “, explained the Barça president. This will enable the 1: 1 rule to be activated, which means that for every million released, Barça can spend the same amount on new contracts. Now, however, the club is still between the 1: 4 and 1: 5 rule, which conditions when signing and, above all, to be able to register players under the rules of fair play of the League, chaired by Javier Tebas.

“We have to wait to sign the signings when we return to the 1: 1 rule,” insisted football director Mateu Alemany. The Barça executive summed it up clearly: right now neither the contracts of Kessié, nor of Christensen, nor even of Sergi Roberto can be registered, who after the expiration of his last contract with the club will sign one of new, as already published by ARA.

Without a limit with Dembélé

The same would happen if an agreement was reached at this time with Ousmane Dembélé, which would mean making him a new contract, because the deadline to renew expired on 30 June. “There is uncertainty, but we have not set a deadline. We have made an offer: their representative has told us that they do not accept it, but they have not resigned either, they want to keep talking about it. If they end up accepting it, fine; if they do not accept it, then there is no interest in us. The salaries of our players must be balanced and that there are no distortions in the salary structure, both in the case of Dembélé and in the case of other players. The new signings understand what our situation is and our prudence, they understand that they have to wait if they want to come to Barça “, argued Laporta.

In the same vein, Alemany said that the reduction of the payroll is “Barça’s main goal”. According to the Barça football director, “the general criterion is to end the legacy of salaries outside the market and for a year and three months we have been fighting to bring it back”. Alemany put this costly legacy in a dozen cases, half of which Barça have resolved under Laporta’s government.

Of these twelve cases, one was that of Leo Messi, with whom, as already published in this newspaper, Barça has no outstanding payments beyond its corresponding part of the salary deferral that was applied to the staff under the internship of Carles Tusquets. The cases of Coutinho – sold to Aston Villa – and Griezmann – transferred to Atletico Madrid – are also resolved, as well as those of Sergi Roberto – will sign a new contract with a reduction of 60% of the salary he had until now – and Ousmane Dembélé -his old contract has ended-. Pjanic also agreed to cut his salary before leaving on loan to the Turkish Besiktas.

Instead, the club plans to face a pay cut – which does not differ – with the three captains, Piqué, Busquets and Alba. The other hot potatoes go through Frenkie de Jong – if he continues he will have to agree to lower his salary; Laporta said yesterday that it will only be sold “if necessary” -; Umtiti – the club wants to get rid of him – and also Ter Stegen, who has one of the tallest players in the squad. “In the short and medium term, at most, we must establish a balance of wages given the market situation. We need to regain enough balance to return to the elite of the European market. But this is a complicated process “, explained Alemany.

Gavi will renew “100%”

The football director was also in charge of giving voice to positive news in Barça’s key. Alemany assured that Gavi will renew “100%”, but that he will do so from August 5, when he turns 18 and no longer has to comply with the regulations that imply that minors can only have contracts of three years. The commitment between the two parties is firm.

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