Barcelona sent a warning by La Liga president: “The levers won’t help next year”

Speaking at a public appearance, La Liga president Javier Tebas has once again sent a warning to Barcelona claiming that they will need to reduce their wage bill significantly before next season.

The Blaugrana have an inflated salary bill thanks to the enormous contracts that the previous administration handed out to players. It has left the club crippled financially, even forcing them to part ways with Lionel Messi last year.

While the same issues cropped up again this past summer, Barcelona circumnavigated those with the help of the economic levers – the sale of a percentage of the club’s TV rights and Barça Studios.

While that may have aided the club in terms of making new signings and registering them without breaching La Liga’s salary cap rules, they could find themselves in trouble next year and the levers will be of no help, Tebas has warned.

This came about when the La Liga president was asked about the impact that Barcelona’s potential drop from the UEFA Champions League to the Europa League might have on finances.

“If they fall in the Champions League they will have less income but he will stop paying bonuses. That will not change much,” Tebas said, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

“The levers have served them for this season but not for the next year. They have to reduce their salary mass, they cannot walk with more than €500 million. Because if not next season we will meet the 1/4 rule for them again,” Tebas warned.

Barcelona vice-president Eduard Romeu recently outlined the club’s intentions to reduce the wage bill, which is currently at around €656 million, to €500 million by 2024.

The permanent transfer of Antoine Griezmann to Atletico Madrid means that Barcelona will free up a significant chunk of their salary mass next season.

The potential departures of some of the highest-earning players in the squad like Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique next summer could help the club in that regard.

But it must be remembered that the latter’s contract still has 18 months left, while Barça also owe him a large sum of money in deferred wage payments, which could make his exit difficult to achieve.

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