DBasia.news – Cleaning up the ‘trash’ left by Josep Maria Bartomeu, the former President of Barcelona, is what the current Barca president Joan Laporta is doing in the 2021 summer transfer market.
While other teams are busy recruiting players to strengthen the squad, Barca have already done so by signing Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay, and Eric Garcia (but missing Lionel Messi). Management also gave an understanding to the team squad.
Gerard Pique as one of Barca’s senior players has agreed to cut his salary so the club can register Garcia and Depay in LaLiga. Pique hopes that other Barca captains such as Sergi Roberto, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba will also do the same for the collective good.
Barcelona’s debt is piling up and the amount is high, which amounted to more than one million billion euros recorded at the beginning of this year. That’s also what makes Barca not extend Messi’s contract, even though the legend is willing to cut his salary.
“Our salaries represent 103% of the club’s total revenue. That’s 20-25% more than our competitors,” Laporta said recently at a press conference session.
“The first thing we had to do when we arrived was ask for a loan of 80 million euros because otherwise we couldn’t pay salaries. The previous regime was full of lies.”
“The idea is to restructure everything, with the whole squad. At 19-20 they had already had a reduction due to Covid-19. Now they have been asked for a second attempt and the first reaction was a shock.”
Squad overhaul
Selling players is also a target for Barcelona to reduce the amount of their debt. So far they have sold Junior Firpo, Jean Clair Todibo, and Carles Alena, while releasing players from Juan Miranda, Matheus Fernandes, Monchu, to Messi.
But it’s not over yet. According to news published by Goal, Barca are targeting 200 million euros by selling Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti and Miralem Pjanic. Barca are still trying to sell them.
It will not be easy to do this because there are several elements to consider, for example: offers from clubs that are interested in them to the player’s interest in playing at a particular club.
Barcelona are still trying to sell them until the deadline of the 2021 summer transfer window which closes on August 31, 2021.