Barcelona bank on La Masia income as transfer receipts approach €120m

Barcelona are on course to complete their summer transfer business with close to €120m in income, despite several deals still waiting to be finalised.

According to Sport, that figure does not represent the difference between the money Barcelona have spent on signings and the fees they have received for departing players. Instead, it refers to revenue generated from player exits alone, including permanent sales, future-sale percentages retained from earlier transfers and solidarity payments for players developed at the club’s La Masia academy.

The largest contribution so far has come from Ferran Torres, who has moved to Paris Saint-Germain for approximately €48.5m. His transfer accounts for almost half of Barcelona’s direct income this summer.

La Masia has been central to the club’s financial return, with more than half of the overall figure linked either directly or indirectly to players who came through Barcelona’s system.

Barcelona have received about €11m from Ansu Fati’s departure and a similar amount from the transfer of Tommy Marques. A further €3m has been generated by Inaki Pena’s move.

Smaller sums have come from the departures of Dani Rodriguez and Andres Cuenca. Rodriguez’s transfer brought in around €600,000, while Cuenca’s was worth approximately €700,000.

Several more deals remain in progress. Hector Fort is expected to join Real Sociedad for about €8.5m, while Alvaro Cortes’ departure would bring in more than €3m. Toni Fernandez’s move to Venezia is valued at approximately €4m.

If Marc Casado is sold for the €20m fee Barcelona have set, income from direct sales alone will rise above €110m.

That would make the current summer Barcelona’s most profitable transfer window for sales since Joan Laporta returned to the club presidency in 2021, provided the outstanding deals are completed at the projected values.

Barcelona recorded €81.5m in player-sale income in 2023. However, that calculation was based on the money that actually reached the club. Paris Saint-Germain, for example, paid €50.4m to sign Ousmane Dembele, but Barcelona received €35.4m, with the remaining €15m going to the player and his representatives.

That year’s total also included income from the transfers of Antoine Griezmann, Francisco Trincao, Franck Kessie, Nico Gonzalez and Ez Abde.

Jofre Torrents’ move to Ajax is not included in the current calculation, although it could eventually provide Barcelona with between €5m and €6m. Much of that amount is dependent on performance-related incentives and other variables that have not yet been activated.

The same applies to additional bonuses included in other transfer agreements. Barcelona will not count those payments financially until they become due.

Income from previous transfers

The club’s earnings have not been limited to players leaving its current squad. Barcelona have collected about €4.8m from Ian Virgili’s transfer from Real Mallorca to Club Brugge, after retaining a percentage of the player’s future sale in an earlier agreement.

Solidarity payments and youth-training compensation have generated a further €4m from transfers involving former La Masia players. Those deals include moves involving Nico Gonzalez, Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo and Sergi Altimira.

That figure could increase slightly if transfers involving Marc Guiu or Mateu Morey are completed.

Barcelona’s total income is therefore approaching €120m, although the figure should be split into two parts: roughly €110m from direct sales made during this summer’s window and about €9m from future-sale clauses and solidarity mechanisms connected to transfers between other clubs.

The club has also improved its financial position away from transfer income by reducing its wage bill. The end of Robert Lewandowski’s contract, together with the loan departures of Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ronald Araujo, has not generated direct revenue for Barcelona but has released significant room on the wage bill.

That space should help the club register new players.

Barcelona’s sporting directors are also seeking agreements that provide further benefits in the future. Several deals include sell-on percentages, buy-back options or bonuses linked to sporting targets.

Virgili’s transfer is the clearest example. Barcelona were able to profit from a clause retained in an earlier deal when Club Brugge decided to pay the player’s release clause.