The club’s financial vice president said on Thursday that Barcelona would not be able to reduce their salary burden to a permanent level until a number of veteran players terminate their contracts.
Presenting the budget for this season, Eduard Romeu warned that it is likely to take two more seasons before Barcelona are able to get their player’s salary load within a manageable range.
Barcelona’s salaries became the most expensive in football under former club president Josep Bartomeu, and, combined with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have put the club into debt so much that it is still working its way out under current president Joan. making. Laporta. Romu said Barcelona had a net debt of 608 million euros ($597 million) as of June.
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“What bothers us is the amount we spend on our player’s salary,” Romu said. “There’s a bunch of (contracts) that have very significant costs and between this season and next they will disappear.”
Asked if he was referring to the contacts of veterans Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Romu said yes. Busquets, who has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer, closes his deal at the end of the season. Pique’s and Alba’s contracts expire in July 2024. All three have multiple Champions League titles, while Pique and Busquets helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup.
In recent seasons, the club has shed the huge salaries of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho.
But instead of reducing their salary burden, Barcelona increased it this season after acquiring several new players, including Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kaunde and Rafinha. This increased the total salary burden for this season from 518 million euros ($508 million) to 656 million euros ($644 million).
According to Romu, the club wants to reduce his salary burden to 500 million euros ($491 million), with 420 million euros ($412 million) dedicated to his first team and 80 million euros ($78 million) to his reserves. And youth teams have to pay. ,
After Barcelona finished the 2021-22 season with a profit after taxes of 98 million euros ($96 million), it has been in the black for the first time, Romu said.
But this was only possible when the Catalan club sold 25% of its Spanish league television rights for 25 years and other properties for 866 million euros ($850 million).
Romu said that for 2022-23, Barcelona has budgeted 1.4 billion euros ($1.38 billion) in revenue and 275 million euros ($270 million) in profit after tax.
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