'Give me €500m, that is what we need to save Barcelona': Club's financial chief

Even a year after losing seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi due to financial constraints, Barcelona's financial woes continue to persist. The Catalan giants' financial chief Eduard Romeu has stated that the club needs approximately €500 million to 'save' themselves.

Barcelona needs €500m to overcome financial woes

Barcelona's financial chief Eduard Romeu explained the major financial concerns of the club to Sport by stating, "The number doing the most damage is asset imbalance. The negative capital of €500m. I said it before if someone wants to give me €500m...that is what we need to save Barca."

Despite the urgent requirement for money, Romeu went on to state that the club are not interested in La Liga's CVC deal, which would see them receive a lump sum in exchange for a percentage of their audiovisual rights. "For us, despite all the pressure we have received and the Fair Play issue we always have to keep in mind, it’s a bad deal," added Romeu. "From a financial point of view, it’s settled and I think the president has been very clear," he said.

How are Barcelona managing the financial crisis?

According to a report published by Mundodeportivo, Barcelona has asked the captains and the rest of the players to take a wage cut. It is believed that the wage cut will not affect the players who recently renewed their contracts. Hence, the likes of Ansu Fati, Araujo and Pedri are unlikely to face any kind of salary cuts. The report goes to the extent of adding that the club will inform the players of this decision and any individual that does not agree to these terms will be sold.

As per Catalunya Radio, the La Liga giants need to raise at least €590 million before the end of the month. It is believed that club president Joan Laporta hopes to raise €200 million from the deal to sell 49% of the club's merchandising and a further €200m as a result of the new audio-visual agreement. However, even if the Catalan heavyweights were to manage all of this, they would still need to raise at least a whopping €190 million to overcome their financial crisis.

The club's serious financial concerns have been no secret as Laporta has spoken about it at length ever since it was clear that they would not be able to renew Messi's contract due to financial fair play regulations. With such a high amount of debt, the current transfer window will be critical for the club to both ensure that they take care of the financial woes, and also continue progressing by keeping the best players in the team.