Barcelona are once again in a frying pan as the 2022-2023 La Liga season is set to begin with La Liga blocking their attempts to register their new signings. The Blaugrana flew high in the 2022 summer transfer market despite battling the post-covid financial woes that rocked the team.
The Catalans have already lost legendary and record-breaking Lionel Messi to another European rival, Paris Saint Germain, last summer, as the financial crisis continues to brew. Barcelona wanted to keep the multiple Ballon D ‘Or winner, but the forces at work were far larger than the team could handle.
They had to let go of the Argentine as they ran into a cataclysm of La Liga Fair Play rules. Returning from Copa America and expecting to sign a new contract and continue his career with the Catalans, Messi admitted he was shocked when he was told he could not stay at Barcelona any longer.
Although a difficult decision, Messi left in 2021 in the heat of a brewing financial crisis after 672 goals in 778 appearances for the Blaugrana.
Fast forward to 2022, Barcelona are breaking records in the transfer market as they intend to prepare the team for the 2022-2023 La Liga Campaign.
The Blaugrana have splashed a whopping £143 million in the transfer market. They brought former Bayern Munich goals machine Robert Lewandowski in a deal worth €45m plus €5m add-ons.
Former Leeds youngster and Brazil international Raphinha has also joined the team for €55m. Raphinha spurned interest from other Premier League clubs – Arsenal and Chelsea to secure a move to the La Liga giants.
Xavi has also brought in Kounde from Barcelona for an initial fee of €50m plus €5m. Both Franck Kessie and Christensen arrived on a free transfer from AC Milan and Chelsea, respectively.
Joan Laporta announced that the club had reached important financial decisions to leverage it off the crippling debt burden running into an excess of €1b.
The club struck a deal on June 30, 2022, to sell some of its financial assets worth €207.5m with an investment group, Sixth Street. They have also sold about 15% of their TV rights as they seek to upturn their financial woes.
Another major hit is the sale of 49.9% of their Barca Licensing and Merchandising Company which will generate a whooping €600m.
The Catalan club has unveiled all their new signings even though there is no assurance yet that they will be registered before the new season commence.
Barcelona and the Joan Gamper cup
Barcelona is set to kick off the 2022-2023 La Liga campaign with the Joan Gamper Cup Challenge.
The Joan Gamper cup is Barcelona’s traditional preseason match at Camp Nou. Planned as the last preseason friendly and curtain raiser, the cup is named after a founding member and president of Barcelona football club, Joan Gamper, and was started in 1996.
The Blaugrana have won the cup 44 times and will be hosting Mexican side Pumas UNAM in the 2022 edition of the tournament on August 7, 2022. The match will kick off at 19:00.
La Liga war with Barca
The governing body of Spanish la La Liga has reportedly blocked attempts by Barcelona to register their new signings. Sergio Roberto and Ousmane Dembele are also affected after they renewed their Barcelona contract.
Saddled with huge debts and spending beyond their financial limits, the Blaugrana have to free up funds in some of their assets if they want to register their new signings with a few days remaining until the start of the League.
As the preparations continue, the La Liga giants may risk not starting all their summer signings, including players with renewed contracts in their La Liga games if they don’t align to their financial obligations.
