Barca’s £173m debts owed to rivals leaked as club’s financial struggles continue
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Barcelona still owe other clubs over €200million (£173m) in transfer fees according to a leaked document which outlines the La Liga giants' financial woes.
Some €90m (£78m) of that sum must be paid in the next 12 months, with Manchester City and Leeds among the clubs expecting imminent payment. City are still owed €26m (£22m) after selling Ferran Torres to Barcelona in January 2022, while Leeds are owed €38m (£33m) from the sale of Raphinha.
Barca also owe money for deals involving Frenkie de Jong, Jules Kounde, Emerson Royal, Neto and Miralem Pjanic, among others. According to Spanish outlet ARA, almost all of the debt owed involves deals completed under current president Joan Laporta, who has gone to extreme lengths to keep the club afloat financially.
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Several key players have taken wage cuts and the Catalan club has pulled a number of 'economic levers' – such as selling off some its TV and merchandising rights – in order to recoup as much cash as possible short-term. The latter method has allowed them to continue buying players, though they spent just £3m this summer (down from £136m in the summer of 2022), focusing instead on bringing in players on free transfers and loan deals.
The club will acknowledge these debts at their next general assembly – and it's understood they could receive a transfer ban if the payments are not made within the expected time frames. It isn't all bad news however, as the leaked document also notes Barcelona are owed around €80m (£69m) in transfer fees from other clubs, €41m (£35m) of which must be paid in the next year.
Will Barcelona ever be a rich club again? Let us know in the comments section below.
Their financial troubles stem from a poorly managed period in the late 2010s in which they spent gargantuan amounts on players who failed to make an impact at the club, like Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho. The impact of Covid-19 lockdowns turned a worrying situation perilous and they were forced to let Lionel Messi leave for nothing in 2021 as they weren't able to renew his contract.
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Barcelona, who won La Liga for the first time since 2019 last season, are currently third in the table after winning six of their opening nine matches. They're three points behind league-leaders Real Madrid, but are the only club in the division to remain undefeated.
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