Barcelona CANNOT register Ferran Torres until the cash-strapped Catalans reduce their wage bill… and Xavi suggests that his ‘spectacular’ new £55m signing may be available if Ousmane Dembele agrees to a pay cut
- Barcelona cannot register Ferran Torres due to their financial difficulties
- The 21-year-old joined the LaLiga giants in a £55m deal from Manchester City
- However, LaLiga salary cap rules means that the Spaniard is not yet registered
- Xavi says Ousmane Dembele agreeing to a pay cut could help the situation
Barcelona are unable to register new £55million signing Ferran Torres until the cash-stropped LaLiga club reduce their sizeable wage bill, Xavi has admitted.
Torres, 21, has joined the Catalans from Manchester City this month in a mega-money move, with new boss Xavi desperate for re-enforcements up front following Sergio Aguero’s retirement.
However, the Spaniard is unable to feature for the club as he is not yet registered, with the club encountering issues with LaLiga’s salary cap rules.
Barcelona are unable to register new £55million signing Ferran Torres due to salary cap issues
Torres, 21, joined the Nou Camp club at the start of the window from Manchester City
Xavi has reflected on the issue, hoping that his ‘spectacular’ new signing will play for his side soon enough.
‘Ferran Torres is a spectacular signing, both as a player and a person,’ he said via Goal.
‘He’s coming off an important injury, he has fantastic commitment, he’s going to give us a lot, I’ve no doubt about it. He can play in different positions, I’m very happy with the effort made by the club to get him.’
However, LaLiga’s salary cap rules means that he is not registered for new manager Xavi
Xavi said that the club will need to offload players in order to free up the wage bill. Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti have been linked with moves to the Premier League this month.
The Barca boss also suggested that Ousmane Dembele could help allow Torres to register.
The Frenchman is locked in negotiations over a new deal, with his current contract expiring this summer, and Xavi has called on the winger to accept a pay cut.
‘We’ll see how the salary cap situation is, if it’s possible right away. There has to be players leaving. If we get Dembele to re-sign his contract and lower his pay it will allow us to sign Torres and we hope that it can happen,’ he added.
The Barca boss suggested that Ousmane Dembele can help the situation if he takes a pay cut
Barcelona announced last year that their debts had reached over £1billion, with their financial predicament seeing Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba taking pay cuts.
Earlier this week, it was reported that talks between Dembele and Barca collapsed due to the Frenchman being unhappy with the club pleading poverty while being linked with a mega-money move for Erling Haaland.
Haaland, 21, has been linked with Real Madrid, Man City and Bayern Munich, and his agent, Mino Raiola, named Barca as an option for his client.
The Borussia Dortmund star will be available for a cut-price fee of £64million, but Marca claimed on Wednesday that a deal stretched over five years could total as much as £400m, when wages and commissions to Raiola and his father, Alf-Inge, are taken into account.
