Barcelona told to reduce wage bill by €200 million

Barcelona’s ongoing financial issues have been well-documented and show no signs of ending soon, if the latest reports prove accurate.

Mundo Deportivo are reporting that La Liga have told Barcelona they need to reduce their wage bill by around €200m in the summer and won’t be able to use financial levers.

Joan Laporta and Co. famously sold off several assets last summer to fund a spending spree that saw Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha arrive.

However, that looks like being an impossibility this time around, and it might be that Barcelona will have to make a big sale or two as well.

The report details how Barca’s predicament is the reason why new contracts for Gavi and Ronald Araujo can’t be registered even though Memphis Depay and Gerard Pique have left.

Barcelona must now look at raising income by selling players, reducing salaries and trying to bring in lucrative sponsorship deals.

It’s a far cry from what Laporta said earlier this month. He said the club need just €26m to bring in new players and was confident of signing at the end of the season.

And it’s not just signings Barca need to think about. The Catalans have a number of other players heading towards the end of their contracts such as Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto, Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso.

Ousmane Dembele is also an issue for Barcelona. The French forward only penned a two-year deal last summer which means a discussion will be needed on his future.