The €50 million wage drain Barcelona hope to get rid of this summer

One of the main problems Barcelona continue to have is their high wage bill, which means that the club is still in a delicate financial situation and has problems reinforcing the first team squad due to the economic 'Fair Play' of LaLiga.

President Joan Laporta and the board managed to reduce the wage bill inherited in the summer of 2021, but the signings made in the winter of that season and last summer to strengthen Xavi Hernandez's squad raised the wage bill to 656 million euros.

The sporting management, with director of football Mateu Alemany at the helm, has worked throughout the season to bring that amount down, as the club has to leave it at around 450 million. Currently, after the departures of Busquets, Alba, Memphis and Griezmann, Barça have a total of 530 million euros committed for the 2023-24 season.

Reinforcements will arrive, but that amount, which includes over 90 million from the sections (other teams at the club), must continue to fall. One of the objectives is to get rid of up to five players who are not in Xavi's plans and who will cost Barça around 51 million euros next season. They are five players who have been on loan and, for the moment, have returned to the club: Umtiti, Lenglet, Dest, Collado and Gustavo Maia.

Five cases

Of all of them, the most expensive is Umtiti. The Frenchman extended his contract in January 2022 until 2026 to help the club sign Ferran Torres, but will cost Barça 20 million next season. The club is looking to transfer the Frenchman or even release him, but it is important to get rid of that cost.

The cost of Lenglet is also high (16 million euros). The Frenchman was one of the players who renewed in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, with a salary adjustment that now weighs like a burden. He did so until 2026. Tottenham, where he has played on loan this season, are still looking to sign him.

Dest, for his part, will cost Barça around 10 million euros. He has not done well on loan at Milan and there are no clubs interested in him. He has a contract until 2025 and the club hopes, at least, to find another loan and a team that will assume a significant part of that tab.

Finally, Barça also want to get rid of both Álex Collado and Gustavo Maia. The former has been on loan at Elche and the latter, who was signed for the reserve team, at Valencia Mestalla. Between the two of them, they will cost Barça more than 4.5 million euros next season.