Barcelona to cut 30% wage bill due to crisis, hold urgent talks with players and staff

Barcelona’s off-field crisis is all set to another plunge in deep waters with the Josep Bartomeu led board aiming to impose wage cuts on the players and other staff. The Blaugrana were already struggling to balance their books last season, and their crisis was further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw games being played behind closed doors. Sources indicate that while the Barcelona board hopes of amicably agreeing on terms, Bartomeu and Co won’t shy from unilaterally announcing the Barcelona wage cut.

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Barcelona wage cut: LaLiga giants aim to reduce Barcelona wage bill by 30%

According to a report by Cadena Ser, Barcelona have held urgent talks with all its players and staff in a bid to agree on a 30% wage cut due to the ongoing financial crisis. The report suggests that Blaugrana have set a November 5 deadline for the negotiations with the first-team squad and non-playing staff, with each department set to have a representative to indulge in talks. It is believed that some players are open to accepting the Barcelona wage cut, but many are suspicious of the hierarchy’s activities and are unlikely to come along easily.

The board could forcefully impose wage cuts on their players and staff, but the players then will have the option to terminate their contracts and theoretically will be available for free in January transfer window or in the following summer. Reports suggest that the LaLiga giants could offer additional years on their contracts if players agree to the Barcelona wage cut proposal.

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Barcelona wage cut: Sale of players reduced Barcelona wage bill by €80million

Barcelona losses totalled a staggering  €97m for the 2019-20 campaign partly due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Reports from Marca suggested that the LaLiga giants show that the debt has more than doubled from €217m in June 2019 to €488m in June 2020. Blaugrana have already adopted a number of cost-cutting measures including the sale of first-team players Arturo Vidal, Arthur Melo, Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic. While the exits saw the Barcelona wage bill reduced by a massive €80million, there are still worrying signs for the club as matchday revenue from the Camp Nou still unavailable due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Barcelona are likely to assess their options before imposing the wage cut, as Josep Bartomeu and Co will hope to avoid seeing players leave for free next summer.

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