FC Barcelona has been facing financial issues since the end of the disastrous reign of former Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu, due to which the club is also facing referee-bribing charges in the recent Neigrera case.
Due to such a financial dilemma, the club is currently on a 3:1 ratio and needs to generate sufficient funds out of player sales, investments, or sponsorships to come back to the 1:1 rule to sign players or even a new manager due to Xavi’s recent departure announcement, as a normal club does, especially in La Liga.
Who are the three players up for sale, and why?
With possible investments and sponsorships looking more and more impossible day after day before the summer window opens, the club has seemingly been looking over player sales and has identified three players to do so to raise the most amount of funds without affecting the squad’s overquality or potential too much.
With so many young talents, including the likes of Fermin Lopez, Marc Guiu, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Hector Fort, and more, already coming through the Barca Academy La Masia in the current season, some spots in the team could be emptied to give these youngsters a place and time to grow in the senior squad.
Especially with the emergence of Pau Cubarsi, Lamine Yamal, and Hector Fort, the club has two promising defenders and one match-winning winger coming through for their upcoming seasons.
Due to this, the club administration is looking to sell two senior defenders and one winger to raise 100 million euros to reach 1:1 in the upcoming transfer window, considering those players still have many clubs seeking them out in the market.
Already threatened by La Liga President Javier Tebas over the dangerous result of not selling any player in the upcoming window, the club is looking to sell Jules Kounde, Christensen, and Raphinha in hopes of cashing in as much profits as they can to help them with the 1:1 rule in La Liga. All three players were signed by the club in the summer of 2022 and after just two seasons, the players are already on the verge of being sold, which is much worse than Barcelona’s financial situation in La Liga.
Among these three though, the sale of Christensen would be the most beneficial for the club economically as he came on a free transfer to the club while the other two players still have 30 million pending amortization to be paid by the club to their former clubs.
How did the 1:1 rule prevent Messi’s return to Barcelona?
With the recent revelations regarding La Liga’s harsh 1:1 rule, a report has come out showing the tweet of Barca Universal made on July 11, 2023, in which La Liga President Javier Tebas was asked about the Messi situation with a possible Barcelona return on the line.
The La Liga President openly conveyed his opinion, clearing that Barcelona is in no situation to sign any player with them far from being in the 1:1 rule, which is applied only in La Liga. This affected Barcelona’s signings that summer, due to which the club was not able to sign even a quality defensive midfielder who could replace the departing Sergio Busquets.
Consequently, the club has been performing the worst they have ever performed in their history defensively despite being the world’s best defense just last season. The club’s 2023 summer transfer window is regarded as the worst summer transfer window in all of the club’s glorious history in terms of signings.
In the summer of last year, when Messi’s contract with PSG came to an end, there were many speculations about Messi being linked back to a move to Barcelona. The club tried everything in its power to make those speculations a reality, but 2023 Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi eventually joined MLS club Inter Miami and has opened up recently on the topic saying that no certain promises were given by the Catalan club over his signing that summer.
The 1:1 rule denied an emotional reunion between Barcelona and Lionel Messi which every fan all around the world was dreaming and waiting for. It is interesting to understand whether that is just La Liga’s reported partiality against Barcelona or just the harsh reality of the club’s financial conundrum.
Do you think Barcelona would ever be able to come out of this financial situation and be the club it was in their glorious histories? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
