‘We’ll be in 1:1 salary limit rule in August’ – Barcelona corporate director

Barcelona remain confident that their salary limit issues will be resolved for the first time in three years. The Blaugrana have gone to extreme lengths to continue to be able to sign and register players over recent seasons, selling off numerous assets, but feel they will be back in the so-called ‘1:1 spending rule’ this summer.

Clubs in Spain’s top two divisions have a salary limit calculated, and if their wage bills exceed that amount, are only permitted to spend 60% of what they save or earn on registering new players. Something Barcelona had appeared to solve in January, with the lease of 475 VIP seats for the next 30 years in exchange for €100m. However auditors Crowe have decided not to include the income in their accounts until the product is in use, proving its existence during the current financial exercise.

It has continued to hamper Barcelona over recent seasons, and as things stand, new signing Joan Garcia remains unregistered, while a new contract for Lamine Yamal is also due to increase their wage bill. ‘We will be in the 1:1 [rule] in August,’ Corporate Director Manel del Rio has told Diario AS, noting that ‘we are working and are calm.’

He would go on to explain that Barcelona need Crowe to include the lease of the VIP seats in their accounts, which hinges on the hosting of the Joan Gamper trophy in August. That in turn would lead to La Liga giving the green light, if there are no unforeseen circumstances.

However that alone will not be enough, and Barcelona must sign a new deal with reduced wages for Frenkie de Jong, agree an exit for captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and potentially make another sale. A central defender is mentioned as a possibility.

This comes in the context of ter Stegen remaining adamant that he will not be leaving Barcelona this summer. A new deal for de Jong seems more achieveable, but similarly to ter Stegen, all of Barcelona’s central defenders have remained clear that they have no intention to leave the club.