Barcelona face ultimatum: Find $130m or lose key players

Due to their incapacity to undertake major financial transactions, Barcelona faces an ultimatum to make ends meet financially. It has thus forced them to produce inventive solutions to lure new players in the face of not having excessive funding.

Failing to extend Lionel Messi’s contract in 2021 exemplified Barcelona’s very sensitive predicament. With their finances in shambles, the Spaniards were no longer considered one of Europe’s elite.

When Joan Laporta took charge, the club had racked up over $1.1 billion in debt. To make matters worse, their history of costly contracts and dismal on-field results characterized them. Laporta’s responsibility during his second term as president was to make things right.

Then, just a year later, the 61-year-old said the team was “out of the hospital,” standing next to Robert Lewandowski. Laporta saw his presence as a sign of the club’s apparent return from the brink of financial collapse.

How Laporta helped club “heal”

As a notorious answer, Laporta pulled several economic “levers”. They are financial maneuvers that restored the Blaugrana’s place in continental competition. However, where exactly Barca will go from here is anybody’s guess.

Even though they are the reigning champions, their buying spree this summer has left them with an elderly striker. They have also had a few unimpressive additions to the roster, limiting their ability to make additional deals.

The Camp Nou outfit doesn’t have any more options or levers to pull at this point. Once again, the club is having to cut corners and make cheap signings just to survive in La Liga, much alone the Champions League. Just now, the funds haven’t run dry. However, that might change shortly, and the Catalans seem to be in serious difficulty.

Barcelona is yet to raise $130 million

In anticipation of the summer transfer market opening on July 1, the board at Montjuic is in a mad dash to raise $130 million; especially since rumors have circulated that they would have to make some significant sales. There are significant holes in the budget for this season, and Barcelona’s fiscal year doesn’t end until June 30.

According to Relevo, the Blaugrana are owed an additional $65 million for their shares in Barca Vision this summer, on top of the $43 million that German investment company Libero has not yet paid. This has brought more complications. Furthermore, there is no indication that such payments will be forthcoming either.

In addition to the $109 million shortfall, Laporta provided $20.3 million to the signing fees. Meanwhile, the board of directors of Barcelona put up $20.3 million in bank guarantees. They need to generate a lot of revenue or get new sponsors if they don’t want to lose about $21 million of their own money and yet satisfy La Liga’s viability plan.

Two players who have been mentioned as possible big exits this summer are Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong. Nevertheless, given the current market conditions, the club will need to discover deals that fulfill their needs as well as those of the players. Barcelona and their board seem to be in a race against the clock to avoid embarrassing themselves over the economic levers they pulled two summers ago.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.