Barcelona face risk of not registering new signings despite activation of second lever

Barcelona faithful will be over the moon following the recent acquisitions of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.

Despite their financial crisis, Barca have splurged in excess of €100 million for the two marquee signings, which has been made possible due to the activation of two economic levers.

Furthermore, the Catalan giants are eyeing further reinforcements, with Chelsea duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso alongside Sevilla’s Jules Kounde on the radar – the latter is rated at €60 million.

However, there is a big sticking point for Blaugrana to register all their new signings with the help of the finances generated from the two levers alone, as they are not allowed to breach La Liga’s Financial Fair Play regulations.

Toni Juanmarti reports that Barca have to maximise their sales operation in order to make room for all their new signings.

The Catalan giants are well aware of it, and they have already begun a clearout of the squad – offloading the players deemed surplus to requirements.

Having already shown the exit route to the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Luuk de Jong, Clement Lenglet and Rey Manaj, there are more to follow.

Barca believe that Frenkie de Jong’s departure will significantly free up their wage bill, so they are pushing hard to sell him to their long-term suitors Manchester United.

An agreement for around €85m has been agreed between both clubs; however, De Jong is persistent in staying at Camp Nou.

Firstly, the Dutch midfielder is not entertained by the idea of joining the Red Devils, who will not be playing in the Champions League next season. 

Besides, the Catalan giants owe him around €17m after he agreed to a pay cut during the pandemic because of a deep financial crisis, with the deferred salary expected to be paid later.

Hence, De Jong wants to remain with Barca, who has four years left in his current deal, and he also can enjoy certain bonuses due to clauses in his deal.

De Jong’s compatriot Memphis Depay is another player Barca want to sell, as he is not in the plans of Xavi.

Barca want to use the Dutch forward as a makeweight in the deal for Kounde, while he is also reportedly wanted by Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur.