Good news for Barça with LaLiga set to announce new spending limits

LaLiga has called a press conference for Thursday in which it will announce the Sporting Squad Cost Limit for all clubs in the First and Second Divisions in Spain. This limit is the maximum amount that each club can spend during the season after all the operations carried out in the summer market and will condition the clubs' room for maneuver to strengthen in winter.

This limit, which in September 2022 was €656 million for Barça and in February 2023, €648 million, includes spending on players, the coach, assistant coach, other coaches and fitness coaches of the first team (eligible squad) and spending on the reserve team, the youth academy and the other sporting sections (non-eligible squad). The items included in the limit are fixed and variable salaries, social security, collective bonuses, acquisition costs (also commissions to agents) and also depreciation.

Barça will receive good news this Thursday regarding this salary cap thanks to the significant reduction made during the summer in the wage bill of the first team and the sections, as stated in the Viability Plan presented to LaLiga. The cut was almost €162 million, bringing the current wage bill of the first team to €404 million, while last season it was €566 million.

This significant reduction in the wage bill has been achieved thanks to a saving of more than €212 million between salaries and amortisations with the departures of up to 13 players: Antoine Griezmann, Gerard Piqué, Francisco Trincao, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Nico González, Franck Kessie, Ousmane Dembélé, Sergiño Dest, Clément Lenglet, Ansu Fati, Eric García and Ez Abde. The additions of Oriol Romeu, Ilkay Gündogan, Iñigo Martínez, Joao Cancelo and Joao Félix, however, only add €50.5 million to the wage bill.

The re-palanca

The work, however, is not yet complete, as Barça is burdened with the money it was due to receive this summer from the Barça Studios lever. Orpheus Media and Socios.com were due to pay €30 million each. They requested a postponement and Barça managed a change of shareholding, securing the entry of Libero Football Finances and Nipa Capital in exchange for €120 million euros. Of that, €60 million was to be paid in August to cover Orpheus Media and Socios.com. €20m was paid by Nipa Capital, but Libero's €40m did not arrive.

The board of directors saved the registrations by presenting a guarantee of €20 million. The €40m must arrive before the close of the winter transfer window, €20m will be used to recover the guarantee and the other €20m to register pending contracts, such as Gavi's, and for Vitor Roque to arrive, because when they do, LaLiga will give Barça more registration capacity.