Barcelona at risk of Champions League points deduction with two Premier League clubs also set for UEFA punishment

Barcelona could be facing a points deduction in the Champions League for breaching UEFA financial rules for a second consecutive year.

The Blaugrana finished second in last season's inaugural 36-team Champions League table, taking 19 points from eight games and losing one game.

Hansi Flick's men went on to reach the semi-finals but were eliminated by Inter Milan - losing 7-6 on aggregate after an extra time strike from Davide Frattesi.

After winning La Liga, Barca will be hoping to improve in Europe next season but could already be handed a major disadvantage by UEFA.

According to Martyn Ziegler of The Times, Barcelona have not complied with strict regulations put in place by UEFA, who are slated to announce sanctions against them at some point this month.

As per the report, because it is their second offence, Barcelona's potential punishments could include a reduced squad for next season's competition or even a points deduction.

The club have been struggling financially for a number of years now and decided to sell off their broadcasting rights and in-house content hub.

Barcelona are facing sanctions from UEFA for financial breaches. Image: Getty

The Catalan giants had hoped the sales would be considered "other operating income" and in line with Financial Fair Play (FFP) but this was not allowed by UEFA, who considered the funds to be “profits on disposal of intangible assets”.

Barca were fined £420,000 for wrongly reporting profits and were unsuccessful in appealing the outcome with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who said "that a similar breach would be addressed by the imposition of a harsher disciplinary measure" from UEFA’s Club Financial Control Board (CFCB).

The sanction appears to be on the way after they breached limits on club losses.

Two Premier League clubs set to receive financial penalties

Chelsea and Aston Villa have also breached regulations for the first time and have been in discussions with CFCB over a financial settlement.

The Blues' case stems from breaching loss limits after they sold their women’s team to a sister company for £200 million.

Chelsea looked to declare income on the sale but this is prohibited by UEFA's financial sustainability rules and led to last season's breach.