Barcelona must raise €69 million by June to deal with financial crisis: Report

Spanish giants Barcelona will have to raise €69 million ($76 million) by the end of June to balance their financial sheet. The defending LaLiga champions have accrued heavy financial losses after the league was suspended in March citing the threat amid the spread of the coronavirus in Spain.

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Barcelona finances: Club struggling with players' sales

According to ESPN, Barcelona are worried that they will find it difficult to meet their sales targets despite the club being in talks with a number of players. The club is struggling to sell off the likes of Junior Firpo, Nelson Semedo and Samuel Umtiti. Meanwhile, players like Arthur Melo, Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal have expressed their desire to continue with Barcelona despite the club not keen on extending their stay at Camp Nou.

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Barcelona finances: Club linked with Neymar, Lautaro Martinez

Barcelona have been linked with several signings in the upcoming transfer window. The likes of Paris Sain-Germain (PSG) superstar Neymar Jr and Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez are reported to be the club’s top priority this summer. However, the two players have a hefty price label, something that the club cannot afford at this point in time.

Former Inter Milan striker Ivan Zamorano, while speaking to MissionTUDN, claimed that Martinez will end up staying at San Siro this summer, despite Barcelona interest. He asserted that Barcelona are facing a serious financial crisis that will not allow them to trade for the 21-year-old Argentina international.

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Barcelona finances: Three players immune from sale

According to an early report by ESPN, only three Barcelona players are immune in the transfer market this summer. These include captain Lionel Messi, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The report also suggests that the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele might be sold in the club’s efforts to deal with the financial losses.

Griezmann was signed from Atletico Madrid only last summer, while Coutinho was sent out on a season-long loan to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich after he failed to impress former manager Ernesto Valverde. Dembele, on the other hand, has failed to live up to the hype, following a series of injuriesthat hampered his growth at Camp Nou. 

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Barcelona pay cuts: Lionel Messi and co. agree to 70% pay cut

After the club informed the players of the Barcelona financial issues, they readily agreed to a pay cut. Led by Lionel Messi, the squad accepted a 70% pay cut to ensure that Barcelona could cope with the financial losses. Despite the pay cut, the club went on to furlough the non-playing staff amid trouble in the Barcelona finances.