The perilous state of the financial crisis at FC Barcelona is considerably worse than first though, according to reports emanating from Spain.
With Lionel Messi out of contract - even though president Joan Laporta saying that talks are 'on the right track' - it appears that the club are unable to register new signings due to a wage overspend that contravenes La Liga rules.
Barcelona: the breakdown
The original report in Goal says that the situation facing new president Laporta is una masa salarial asfixiante - 'a suffocating wage bill' - that leaves the Catalan club with financial books that are 'like a horror film'.
The club are already €1.2bn in debt, making the acquisition and sales of players exceptionally difficult, particularly with the looming spectre of keeping Messi happy - a contract that would still be of commercial benefit to the club, despite exorbitant wages.
The problems come now that Messi's contract is currently unpayable due to the league's wages rules, and Barca's falling revenues due to the pandemic.
Two years ago, Barcelona's salary limit was €671m, but now stands at €348m due to the drop in revenues and rules around revenue to wages.
Currently, the club are reportedly looking to offload the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti and Miralem Pjanic among others, with the likes of Jean-Claire Todibo and Matheus Fernandes having been cleared from the wage bill.
If the aforementioned three are sold, it frees €64m from the wage bill, but that will not be enough as La Liga chief Javier Tebas will not allow the club to compete in the domestic competition with such a perilous wage to turnover ratio.
Tebas is on record as saying that the league are in no position to allow for rules to be relaxed, even for a talent as mutually-beneficial for both league and club as Leo Messi.
"We cannot make a rule for Messi or for [Erling] Haaland. The rules are what they are," Tebas said.
"The managers know it perfectly well and it will not change. The efforts made by Barca to reduce its salary bill are on the right track but there will not be a special rule.
"The rules have to be complied with, we are not going to change them. We are not going to make an ad-hoc rule for Messi."
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