Barcelona’s precarious financial position could see them ask players to take further cuts in their salary – but Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique are unwilling to reduce their wages any further, according to reports in Spain.
The Catalan giants’ monetary troubles have been well documented over the past year, to the extent that Lionel Messi had to be let go as Barcelona could no longer afford to pay his extortionate wages.
Other high-profile players have been moved on in an attempt to balance the club’s books, while several players who stayed at Camp Nou agreed to lower their huge salaries to help Barca continue to operate and bring in new signings.
Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen are two fresh faces who will arrive at the club this summer on free transfers, with that particular area of the market now hugely appealing to Barcelona because of the vast cost savings on offer.
However, the club continue to be linked with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and others – they also signed Ferran Torres from Manchester City for €55m in January – which has led many to question where Barcelona’s money could be coming from.
Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong could headline this summer’s sales, but Sport report that Barcelona are also considering asking the players who will be staying put to reduce their salaries further.
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Senior players Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique, all part of Barcelona’s captaincy team, are named as potential targets for further wage cuts – but Sport‘s report says the trio are not willing to entertain further reductions in their own salary and are instead keen for the club find other ways of generating additional income.
Indeed, the trio were among the Barcelona players most affected by the club’s financial woes, having already taken sizeable cuts in their salary to help the club stay afloat.
Sergi Roberto has reportedly agreed to cut his wages in half, with an announcement of his new Barcelona contract expected imminently.
