Barcelona's latest financial report has highlighted the amount of money they owe to clubs around Europe, including Manchester City and Bayern Munich – but will the situation impact Marcus Rashford's future?
Rashford, who joined Barcelona from Manchester United in the summer on a season-long loan, has been one of the club's standout performers in recent weeks.
The forward has scored five goals in all competitions for Hansi Flick's side this season, with his brace against Olympiacos in the Champions League on Tuesday night summing up his recent form.
In fact, no player has more goal contributions than Rashford in Europe's elite competition this season.
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Barcelona are believed to be 'ecstatic' with Rashford, according to a report from The Sun, who claim those inside the club have been impressed with his work ethic and are ready to take up the option of turning his loan into a permanent deal.
A source told the publication: "Barcelona had an issue with signing Marcus initially, which was the club’s financial situation. But they also thought United were playing a game because they were willing to let him go.
"They thought it was too good to be true - there must be something wrong with him. His brother Dwaine persuaded them there was nothing wrong - and that he wasn’t going to mess them about."
They added: "Barca are now really shocked that they could sign him for what they see as a bargain."
Barcelona's financial situation, however, has been an issue in the past.
It has been widely reported that the reigning La Liga champions would have to pay £25 million plus £5 million in add-ons to get a deal over the line, although their latest financial results could prove an issue.
As per their latest financial report, Barca have accrued a transfer debt of €159 million (£138m) in payments still owed to other clubs, which raises 'huge question marks over the long-term sustainability of the club', according to the Mail.
The report goes on to suggest that the Spanish club must pay €140 million (£121m) of that sum by the end of this season to stay afloat.
It is said a large proportion of Barcelona's transfer debt is made up of unpaid fees from three big-money signings that were made in the summer of 2023 – Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde.
In fact, they owe €10 million (£8.5m) of Lewandowski's transfer from Bayern Munich, €42 million (£36.5m) of Raphinha's move to Leeds United and €25 million (£22m) of Kounde's switch from Sevilla.
The report goes on to claim that the delay to Barcelona's stadium renovations has 'significantly weakened the club's finances over the last few years'.
Topics: Barcelona, La Liga, Spain, Marcus Rashford
Jack Kenmare