LaLiga president Javier Tebas has said it is “practically impossible” for Barcelona to make any summer signings due to the club’s financial situation.
Despite the departures of Gerard Pique, who retired, Memphis Depay who joined Atletico Madrid and Hector Bellerin‘s transfer to Sporting Club, league leaders Barca were unable to sign any players in the January transfer window due to LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
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And, speaking at the Business Football Summit, Tebas warned Barca fans they can expect a quiet summer.
“I already announced it, and [Barca] president [Joan] Laporta will phone me and be angry,” Tebas said. “It is practically impossible for Barcelona to sign players in the summer. Much will have to change because, if not, the institution will be in trouble. We haven’t let FC Barcelona sign players this winter, and next summer. They won’t be able to sign players.”
Barca have also been at odds with LaLiga regarding their strict FFP rules. Earlier this year, Barca sued LaLiga over the league’s refusal to allow them to join other clubs in increasing their salary cap by 15%.
The league argues that Barca have already increased their squad spending limit by 100% and that an additional 15% would therefore be discriminatory to other clubs.
“If with FC Barcelona, which is a very important club for LaLiga, we looked the other way on the economic issue, we would do ourselves a disservice for the competition itself,” Tebas said.
Laporta said in August 2021 that his board had inherited a club record debt of €1.35 billion, but the sale of club assets — such as 25% of their domestic television rights for the next 25 years — last summer allowed Barca to reduce the debt and spend over €150 million during that transfer window.
A solution to Barca’s financial woes, would be, according to Laporta, for the Super League project to go ahead. Barca are one of the founding clubs of the proposed breakaway competition.
According to Laporta, the start of the Super League would give Barca an initial bonus of €1bn and make the team more competitive.
