Barcelona faced a setback on Thursday as La Liga reduced their spending limit for the season to 270 million euros ($290 million). La Liga enforces strict spending controls to prevent clubs from overspending on player wages and transfers.
Barcelona’s previous limit was much higher at 649 million euros ($697 million), inflated by various financial maneuvers, including the sale of future television rights income. Currently, their salary expenditure stands at approximately 400 million euros ($429 million), according to Spanish reports.
As a consequence of exceeding the limit, Barcelona will be subject to a spending cap, allowing them to use only around 50 percent of their income to improve their squad until they make the necessary cuts to adhere to the new limit.
Given the current situation, it is unlikely that Barcelona will engage in significant transfer activity in January, and further reductions will be required to strengthen their squad next summer, despite the departures of players like Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Ousmane Dembele.
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s contract restructuring in August allowed Barcelona to register new signings, including loanees Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix.
La Liga president Javier Tebas expressed uncertainty about when Barcelona’s financial situation would return to normal, emphasizing that it depended on the club’s business strategy.
In contrast, Real Madrid has a spending limit of 727 million euros ($780 million), and Atletico Madrid follows closely behind with a 296 million euro limit ($318 million).
La Liga’s spending limit encompasses player and staff salaries, transfer amortization costs, agent fees, bonuses, and other expenses. The limit is determined by subtracting a team’s debts and non-sporting expenses from their revenue.
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