La Liga announce new salary limit rules – will help Barcelona register Yamal

La Liga have announced a series of changes to the salary limit rules, which dictate how much club can spend on their squads, and what player contracts they can register for the season. Their latest alterations again favour more spending for the Spanish clubs.

As is the case for this season, clubs that are over their salary limit can now spend 60% of what they save (70% for a player with a salary over 5% of the wage bill, a franchise player) or 20% of what they bring in from player departures (30% for ‘franchise players), but there are now a number of exceptions to the rule too. One of the key changes is that La Liga sides will now be able to sign players under 24 who have been at the club for three consecutive seasons to a new deal and reigster them, giving them until the end of the season to find the money in their salary limit to do so. If they do not manage to make up the difference, that money will be taken off their salary limit for the following season.

That is to encourage sides to protect their academy talents and hand them new deals. In addition, women’s football will be allowed further flexibility, with up to €2m or up to 2% of total revenue allowed to be put towards a women’s team without it being subtracted from their salary limit. In addition, La Liga has adopted a UEFA rule dictating that player contracts may only be ammortised over a maximum of five years, and four for clubs that are over their salary limit.

Those same clubs over their limit will be allowed to register a maximum of three players though, one via transfer, two on a free transfer, with their impact on the salary limit only being counted for a single season, again easing spending restrictions. The clubs will then have until the end of the year to find the money to register the rest of their contracts.

Perhaps the biggest change is the imposition of a minimum salary limit. Clubs in Primera will be given a minimum salary limit of 30% of their turnover, and in Segunda 40% of their turnover, to ensure that clubs remain competitive. If a club consistently exceeds that minimum limit  year on year though, CEO Javier Gomez noted they would be relegated.

This will be good news for Espanyol and Sevilla, who have salary limits of €7.8m and €0.7m respectively. Another key beneficiary of this rule will likely be Barcelona. They are faced with handing a major new contract to Lamine Yamal this summer when he turns 18, and the new under-24 rule will give them a season back at Camp Nou to increase their income sufficiently to register his deal.