Joan Laporta’s contributions to Barcelona have been generally welcomed since taking over as president of the Spanish giants from his controversial and unpopular predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu, but the path to undoing the mess created by the previous regime will not be easy as the Blaugrana are facing yet another financial hurdle.
It’s no secret that the Blaugrana are in serious debt, with the club having spent hundreds of millions on signings, most of which have gone on to flop at the Camp Nou. Due to this wasteful spending, the Spanish giants have been limited to mainly free signings this summer, having landed Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero, and Eric Garcia on Bosman transfers.
However, the additions of these players have handed the club a new problem to solve. According to Goal, despite spending little to zero on the aforementioned signings, Barcelona are unable to register any of their newcomers, including the recently-acquired full-back Emerson, as they have exceeded La Liga’s salary limit.
Until the Cop del Rey holders lower their current wage bill, no new player can be registered to their Spanish top-flight team, forcing the club into panic mode. As a result, Laporta is said to be exploring drastic measures, with several high earners said to be shown the door, both willingly and not.
Francisco Trincao left on loan to Wolves while Junior Firpo joined fellow Premier League outfits Leeds on a permanent transfer. Jean Claire-Todibo has moved on to Nice while Konrad De La Fuente was sold to fellow Ligue 1 side Marseille. However, this does not suffice as even Lionel Messi, who is said to have agreed terms for a new Camp Nou, cannot be re-registered due to the salary cap as his previous deal expire on June 30.
The club have thus turned their attentions to Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, and Miralem Pijanic, with all three being put up for sale. There have been rumors claiming the latter two could have their contracts terminated; however, given that Barcelona are facing a lawsuit for doing just that to former player Matheus Fernandes, the board will be wary of garnering more court cases.
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