During the election campaign, Ferran Olivi, Barcelona’s treasurer until his resignation on 9 February alongside Joan Laporta and eight other board members, stated that the club was facing a shortfall of between €12 million and €15 million in order to comply with the 1:1 player exchange rule1 rule established by La Liga during the summer transfer window.
Now, with the elections over, there is a sense of relief within the Barcelona board regarding the achievement of this goal after five years of financial difficulties that have hampered the club, in accordance with La Liga’s financial fair play regulations.
The newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" reported that Barcelona has already submitted the interim financial statements required by La Liga (La Liga) at the mid-season point, which show projected revenues exceeding €1.075 billion by 30 June – the figure approved at the general meeting last October.
Reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League (with €100.34 million guaranteed from UEFA) contributed to this achievement, in addition to securing additional revenue from sponsorship, ticket sales and merchandise.
At present, La Liga is interpreting all information regarding Barcelona’s financial situation positively, without any opposition or pressure from other clubs.
To definitively achieve the 1:1 rule, a reduction in the wage cap must be taken into account; even if Robert Lewandowski renews his contract, his salary will not affect the total wage bill and depreciation.
This is due to his contribution in supporting the club when he joined at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and signed a contract with increasing wages.
As for the reduction in Andreas Christensen’s salary, it amounts to around €25 million; consequently, Barcelona, by calculating the salary and the amortisation portion of the contract value based on the contract duration, can benefit from the reduction resulting from the ‘financial fair play’ allowance as long as it adheres to the 1:1 rule, and the potential sale of the player would also contribute to achieving this objective.
The 1:1 rule stipulates that Barcelona may not spend more than its income and budget on players’ salaries.
With the good news from La Liga, Barcelona has effectively begun to emerge from the financial crisis that has hampered many of its transfer deals, and the club will be able to enter the upcoming transfer window in a stronger position than in previous seasons.
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