Barcelona reach deal to cut wages due to impact of Covid-19

Barcelona have reached an agreement in principle with their playing staff to implement wage cuts which will save the club €122m, they confirmed on Friday night.

It is a significant moment for the club and follows weeks of negotiations, with several of the previous deadlines set by the Blaugrana not reached. Indeed, a report from Catalan based media outlet Esport3 earlier this month said two extensions to the deadline were granted after negotiating deadlocks.

It has been reported that the club were aiming to save €190m by these measures and whilst this saving will fall short of that amount, it is still seen as significant.

On top of the immediate saving of €122m, the club have deferred €50m of variable payments over a three-year period.

The club recently confirmed contract extensions for defender Gerard Pique through to 2024, while goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has penned a deal through until 2025 while both Clement Lenglet and Frenkie de Jong have extended their stays through until 2026.

These deals included a temporary salary adjustment – which likely indicates that the four have agreed reduced salaries in the short-term but will be reimbursed with an improved deal in the long-term.

The club accounts show that Barcelona’s debt had more than doubled during the 2019-20 campaign amid extremely worrying financial results.

The club’s financial figures, as outlined by Marca, show that the debt at the club has risen from €217m in June 2019 to €488m in June 2020.

Whilst the club’s first-team squad has been slimmed down this year, with a reported €80m off the wage bill, there is still a worrying financial outlook for the club.

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Muyiwa Jogbodo

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