Barcelona in debt of €1.35 billion after Messi’s departure

Barcelona is in debt of €1.35 billion, the club’s president Joan Laporta confirmed on Monday.

 

He revealed the numbers, as he defended his brief tenure from criticism, pointing fingers at his predecessor, Jose Maria Bartomeu.

 

Laporta came into office in March, after winning the elections which followed Bartomeu’s resignation in October 2020.

 

“As of March 21, 2021, the debt was €1.35bn. Bartomeu was plugging holes in the short term and mortgaging the club in the long term. That leaves us a dramatic inheritance.

 

“To the initial debt of €617m, you have to add €389m on players, €90m in litigation, €79m in advance television rights and €56m from the ‘Espai Barca’ project. In total, it’s €1.35bn,” Laporta said in a news conference.

 

It comes almost a week after Lionel Messi left the club to sign for Paris Saint-Germain.

 

Messi departed after Barcelona were unable to register a new contract for him within the strict LaLiga imposed salary cap.

 

Last weekend, only Gerard Pique’s accepted a last-minute pay cut, allowed Barca to field new signings Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia against Real Sociedad.