Barcelona lowers its salary limit by 15 million: How does this affect a possible signing?

LaLiga Economic Control announced on Thursday the updated salary limits of its 42 First and Second Division clubs. With a 10% increase only in the top category, the only team that has reduced its staff cost cap is Barcelona by lowering 15 million compared to the data provided in September. A decrease of 2.2% (from 171,429 million to about 656,429) which, however, is still the largest in Spanish football and could be increased in the face of the signing of a new player. An operation that depends, to a degree, on this economic data but which could also be modified if the Catalan team considered it appropriate.

The directive chaired by Josep María Bartomeu continues to lead the majority of economic indices within LaLiga. If already in October he presented to the partners a record budget of more than 1,000 million euros for this course, this time he has ratified the maximum salary cap within the First Division. A limit that is still higher than that of a Real Madrid (641,049), which has been one of the five Spanish clubs that has not modified its staff cost in January.

However, Barcelona has been the only squad that has reduced its limit. A decrease of 2.2%, which responds to different possible factors and can be decisive when managing a signing as a substitute for the long-term injury of Ousmane Dembélé. Because the culé entity has already expressed its interest in strengthening itself for the final stretch of the season and, in an already limited number of options (it can only be done with a footballer unemployed or who plays in Spain), this descent is even more The likely hiring of a striker is convoluted.

To calculate the salary limit of each club, LaLiga subtracts the total amount reflected in the expenses that do not have to do with the sports team, in addition to debt repayment. Of that final data, which, however, may be lower if the teams consider that they do not need as much money as their accounts allow, the entities must pay the costs of salaries, compensation, Social Security contributions, premiums, rights of image, expenses in commissions and amortizations of “players, first coach, second coach and physical trainer”, as well as subsidiaries.

Therefore, once this is understood, it follows that Barcelona has reduced its salary limit by any of the three decisive factors: lower income than expected, higher non-sports costs or increased debt. A fact that does not reveal neither the club itself nor LaLiga, but that could be oriented towards the elimination in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey (understanding that it had been in nine consecutive seasons reaching the semifinals, in eight of them the final, and the club trusted in achieving this objective) or that the debts of the entity for future projects (such as Espai Barça) have grown.

LaLiga leaves the possibility of increasing the limit by 4% in case of a long-term injury

All this leaves less salary space in Can Barça for the coveted signing, as the forward who arrived should be inside (with their respective salary, bonuses and remaining salaries) of the 656 million staff limit. However, the club still has a card under the sleeve of a 4% increase that could be key as it gives a margin of 26.25 million.

This small loophole LaLiga allows access as long as a club has exhausted the total of its limit, has a long-term injured player and the signing is for a price less than 80% of the withdrawal. That is to say, Barça can access the option if it considers so since Dembélé has high costs and its withdrawal is six months.

Some 26.25 million that could be key to the long-awaited forward. With only this figure or with what the Blaugrana club has not spent on its salary limit, the board already moves against the clock to reinforce the squad of Quique Setién and face the last leg of the campaign to try to conquer the third consecutive league.

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