Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Barcelona, Xavi, Real Madrid, La Liga
The SPORTbible Team
Barcelona’s spending cap has reportedly risen from -€144m to €656.5m.
Reshad Rahman, a London-based journalist covering the Catalan club, reported on social media that LaLiga has confirmed the increase, although the impact isn’t likely to be felt until next season.
The news comes just six months after the league published an updated list of squad spending limits for clubs in the top two tiers of Spanish football.
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The limit is the maximum amount that each club should spend over the course of a season, including the spend on the first team in relation to players, management, and backroom staff, as well as spending on the reserve and youth teams.
Barcelona were the only club with a negative total after it was revealed their spending limit would be cut to -€144m following the arrival of Dani Alves, Ferran Torres, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Adama Traore in the January transfer window.
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The five-time Champions League winners’ money troubles have been well-documented of late, despite making a number of marquee signings this summer, including Brazilian playmaker Raphinha, defender Jules Kounde, and goal machine Robert Lewandowski.
The new figure means the only club to have a higher spending limit than Barcelona will be bitter rivals Real Madrid, whose total currently stands at a whopping €739m.
It will be welcome news for manager and club legend Xavi, whose side thrashed Viktoria Plzen 5-1 at the Spotify Camp Nou in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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Lewandowski grabbed the headlines with a hat-trick on his European debut for the club, but it was Ousmane Dembele, a player many tipped to leave the Spanish giants this summer, who stole the show with two assists and some mesmerising attacking play.
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In response to their club's reported spend cap increase, many Barcelona fans took to Twitter to express their joy.
“Thank God we have Laporta and his people at the office,” one wrote about the club’s current president, Joan Laporta.
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Another added: “Messi, Bernardo, Kimmich, Rodri in next summer, who says no?”
While a third simply wrote: “We are back.”
Next up for Barcelona is a return to league action on Saturday when they travel to Cadiz.