Levers, a set of extraordinary income, add up for him Barça a total of 867 million euroswhich allow the club to close last, current and next seasons with benefits, as admitted by the economic vice president, Eduard Romeoin a meeting with the economic press in which the corporate director, Maribel Meléndez, was also present, among other directors.
In the entity’s plans, which will still be in technical bankruptcy this campaign with a equity hole of 353 million compared to 451 million last season, there is the goal of eliminating it, despite the fact that there is no legal deadline to do so. The plan is to do it in five years and be competitive, that is, balance the accounts, in two seasons. In any case, the club will try to “advance the disappearance of the patrimonial imbalance” that is necessary to negotiate loans and financing.
“If it were a company, or should make a capital increase, a spill of the partners or dissolve,” he admitted. The option of the presiding directive John Laporta was to choose to get a return on assets, instead of resorting to partners who, moreover, “are not directly responsible for the situation”. In short “use the assets of the club for the benefit of the club”.
Romeu has assured that if nothing is done, the Barça would lose 200 million a year. “Either operations are carried out to avoid it or you have to ask the partners for money. And he has highlighted that the big problem is “the totally uncontrolled salary mass”, inherited from the previous board. The goal is to stabilize it at around 500 million, as the most expensive contracts expire this season and next. Gerard Piqué, Jordi Busquets and Jordi Albafor example, end their contracts between this season and the next.
Normalized wages in the 24-25 campaign
The new signings of players and the lack of departures have left sports salaries for the current campaign at 656 million, Romeo explained. He has insisted that the club has made a significant effort to cut the wage bills of some players, but it has not gone as far as he wanted.
However, he trusts that the 2024-25 season the budget in terms of sports salaries is already “normalized”, after a 2023-24 season that still foresees a transition.
A net profit of 274 million is expected for the current season, compared to 98 million last season and losses of 481 million for the 2020/2021 campaign.
After the sale of 10% of the TV rights, with an income of 207 million to be collected between 2023 and 2025, to the Sixth Street fund, which was later transferred another 15% that have been entered in the current season, as well as that 49% of Barça Studios, the entity reserves as an option to sell part of BLM, which is “the jewel in the crown”, the company to market Barça products. In Romeu’s opinion, that business “is not worth less than 300 million.”
Barça had budgeted 765 million in income and 784 million in expenses for last season. Actual revenue in the 2021/22 financial year amounted to €750 million and actual spending was €856 million. The result has been positive thanks to “the levers”. The total debt has passed to 1,045 million.
