Barcelona’s financial troubles took a further hit as LaLiga enforced a reduction in their spending limit.
For the current season, Barcelona’s new wage cap stands at €270 million, a substantial decrease from the previous €648 million cap set back in February. This cap applies for the first five months and is subject to review after the January transfer window.
Real Madrid’s budget for the 2023–24 La Liga season is €727 million, with Atletico Madrid slightly surpassing Barcelona at €296 million.
The top five in terms of budget are rounded out by Sevilla (€168 million) and Villarreal (€143 million).
The spending cap is primarily determined by the gap between a team’s earnings and non-sporting expenses, as well as debt repayments.
Barcelona’s decrease in the spending cap is partly due to the declining impact of “palancas,” which are assets sold to improve short-term finances.
One such asset sale, Barca Studios (now Barca Vision), did not yield the expected funds in 2022, leading to its resale during the summer.
However, these funds still did not arrive by the close of the transfer window, prompting President Joan Laporta and the board to provide a €20 million guarantee to complete all summer business with La Liga.
During the summer, Barcelona made limited signings, including Oriol Romeu (€3.5 million), Ilkay Gundogan, and Inigo Martinez.
They also secured season-long loans for Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo. To balance their finances, high earners such as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba departed, and transfer fees were received for Ousmane Dembele and Franck Kessie.
Additional departures included Abde Ezzalzouli, Samuel Umtiti, and Nico Gonzalez, while Ansu Fati, Clement Lenglet, and Sergiño Dest were sent on loan.
Barcelona managed to reduce their annual sporting costs from €560 million to approximately €400 million, but these still exceed the league’s imposed cap.
Consequently, they will face restrictions when the transfer window reopens in January, especially with regards to spending on other teams like the B team, women’s team, and basketball team.
President Joan Laporta and the club’s leadership will once again need to take cost-cutting measures or explore alternative means to raise funds if they intend to continue with their current roster of players.