The January transfer window was a difficult one for Barcelona. Even though the club tried their best to rope in the likes of Sofyan Amrabat and Yannick Carrasco, among others, they were unable to do so due to an ongoing economic crisis.
The Financial Fair Play regulations have indeed crippled Barcelona’s powers in the transfer market. But despite their struggles, it was always thought that the club would be able to make the necessary financial provisions to attract top stars in the summer.
However, according to a report from DEPREDICT, even that might not be a possibility for Barcelona, who are not in a position to afford any one of note. This is because the club are still lagging behind in terms of meeting the Financial Fair Play regulations.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has already confirmed that Barcelona must reduce around €200 million from the squad budget if they are to comply with FFP rules.
With that in mind, the Blaugarana have very little capacity to make new signings in the summer. The club are aware of the situation and are likely to prioritise registration of the new contracts of players that have already penned a new deal.
Barça may also focus on retaining some of the key players in order to sustain the strength of the squad. Another avenue is to prioritise the signing of free agents, as they do not require much economic outlay aside from player wages.
However, it must be noted Barcelona can still generate a sizable revenue through player sales. The club are open to the sale of Ez Abde in the summer, whereas Clement Lenglet may end up prolonging his stay at Tottenham Hotspur.
There are other means of generating wealth as well, including sponsorship revenues and the potential departure of high-salaried individuals such as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Hence, it will be interesting to see what measures Barça take this summer in order to strengthen the quality of the squad.
