Barcelona suffer a huge blow in their bid to sign Erling Haaland as LaLiga say they are £120MILLION OVER new spending limits… and they can only fork out more cash on players if they generate FOUR times as much in savings and sales
- La Liga announced squad-spending limits for all 20 clubs on Monday
- Barcelona’s balance however is now €144m more than their permitted limit
- They estimate signing of Erling Halaand would cost them £42m (€50m) a year
- So to spend €50m they will need to generate £168m (€200m) this summer
Barcelona were dealt a huge blow in their bid to beat Manchester City to the signing of Erling Haaland this summer, after La Liga announced new spending limits for Spain’s 20 top-flight clubs.
Barça have been told that their current spending on the squad is £121million (€144m) over the permitted limit they can only spend if they generate four times as much via sales and savings.
La Liga announced squad-spending limits for all 20 clubs on Monday and Barcelona’s balance is now minus €144m.
Barcelona were dealt a blow in their bid to sign Erling Haaland after La Liga announced new spending limits
Barça have been told their current spending on the squad is €144m over the permitted limit
Article 100 of La Liga’s financial fair play rules allows clubs with a negative spending limit to apply a 1:4 ratio to their financial transactions. That means they can spend a €1 if they generate €4.
Barcelona have estimated that the signing of Haaland would cost them £42m (€50m) a year for the next five years. So to spend €50m they will need to generate £168m (€200m) this summer.
That money can come from the sale of players such as Antoine Griezmann currently on loan at Atletico Madrid and Philippe Coutinho currently on loan at Aston Villa.
Or it could come from a new sponsorship deal such as the long mooted stadium naming rights deal with Spotify. Or by making a deal with CVC, the investment fund that struck a deal with all La Liga clubs apart from Barcelona and Real Madrid at the start of the season.
The Catalan giants can only spend if they generate four times as much via sales and savings
That money can come from the sale of players such as Antoine Griezmann (L) and Philippe Coutinho (R)
Barcelona’s situation could improve if such deals with Spotify or CVC are confirmed but La Liga warned that accepting CVC would release around £38m (€45m) to be spent on the squad. That would still leave Barcelona at minus £83m (€99m) and needing to lean on article 100 to bring in players.
Barcelona’s plight will also affect their ability to sign Adama Traore permanently. The player is valued at around £25m (€30m) and will not be viewed as a priority this summer unless Barcelona can reach an agreement with Wolves who currently have Francisco Trincao on loan from Barcelona.
Squad spend limits are calculated by working out the difference between projected income and projected outgoings according to numbers provided by the clubs themselves as well as from La Liga and Uefa.
But losses in previous seasons are also factored into the equation and this is where Barcelona continue to suffer despite losing top earner Lionel Messi from the wage bill last summer.
Barcelona’s plight will also affect their ability to sign Adama Traore permanently
Squad spend limits are calculated by LaLiga by working out the difference between projected income and projected outgoings
