Barcelona are reportedly lacking the capacity to register several first-team players for the 2024/25 season amid the club’s financial woes.
The Blaugrana side have over time been sanctioned by La Liga for their finances following some big transfer deals and several years of poor management at the Catalan-based club.
At the commencement of the 2023/24 campaign, Barcelona’s salary cap was slashed by nearly 50%, from £558 million to £232 million before being subsequently reduced in February 2024 to £175 million.
Despite sanctions affecting their activity in the transfer market, the Catalan giants still finished 2nd in La Liga last season, although they ended the campaign 10 points behind Los Blancos.
The 2024/25 season is expected to offer more uncertainty as former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick has been appointed as successor to Xavi Hernandez, who departed Barcelona at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
The German will likely experience a summer filled with not many acquisitions due to the financial state of the Spanish side.
Barcelona Need To Raise £100 Million Or They Will Be Prevented From Signing Players
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Barcelona must find £100 million by the end of June 2024 or they could be prevented from making necessary reinforcements.
This is due to the club overshooting La Liga’s salary limit, and presently, about 9 senior players who played some matches in the 2023/24 season cannot be registered for the upcoming campaign.
These players include the likes of former Chelsea attacker Marcos Alonso, Spain international Inigo Martinez, and Brazilian starlet Vitor Roque
In compounding their misery, some highly paid stars who are set to return after being loaned out will automatically be registered.
Clement Lenglet and Ansu Fati are set to return in the coming weeks following loan spells at Aston Villa and Brighton respectively.
Fati reportedly earns £200,000 a week at Barcelona, and this will provide a massive headache for Flick, who has his mind on improving Barcelona’s finances by pruning some unwanted expenses.
Flick will Suffer At Barcelona – Xavi Hernandez Says
Hansi Flick has been warned by his predecessor Xavi that managing Barcelona is a herculean task, and as such, he is bound to suffer.
Xavi Hernandez said: “To the new manager, I tell you: You will suffer.
“This is a difficult job and you have to be patient.”
The Spanish tactician made this comment after guiding Barcelona to a 2-1 win over Sevilla in his final game in charge of the side.
Xavi further expressed that he felt the Blaugrana side didn’t appreciate him enough for his contributions to the club.
The 44-year-old said: “I think that our work has not been appreciated enough. I took over when the team was in ninth place, finished the season in second place, and won the league the next season.”
It will be fascinating to see how Barcelona fares in the transfer market in the coming weeks, given the issues they are dealing with.
