Barcelona must sell players before making January signings

Barcelona will be unable to add to their squad in the January transfer window unless they first sell players, despite an improvement in their financial position.

The club are confident they will not need to recruit during the winter market because Hansi Flick’s side have made an excellent start, winning all eight of their matches and having at least two players for every position.

However, if reinforcements become necessary, Barcelona will have to raise funds by reducing their squad. Although their financial situation has improved, the change has not been significant enough to give them freedom to make new signings.

Barcelona are also expected to have a positive fair-play balance when the January transfer window opens, but that alone will not allow them to complete deals.

Ferran Olive, Barcelona’s vice-president for economic affairs, said on Wednesday on the programme Que t’hi jugues!: “We have to sell some players.”

He added: “Our fair-play balance was negative. It took us five years to reach a 1-1 balance. It was not easy.”

Olive said the club had lacked the resources needed to operate effectively when the current leadership took over.

“For the first team to work efficiently, the necessary tools must be provided,” he said. “It is all about winning. When we took responsibility, we lacked the resources.”

The vice-president identified the completion of the Spotify Camp Nou project as his main priority.

“What worries me most, and what is my top priority, is completing the Camp Nou stadium project,” he said.

Olive believes the renovated stadium will strengthen Barcelona’s finances by increasing commercial income and matchday-related sales.

“With the stadium completed and the team performing well, sponsorships will increase and we will sell more in the shops,” he said. “It is a positive cycle. That is why we are asking the members to increase the financing ceiling, because it is the cornerstone of the project.”

Current estimates suggest Spotify Camp Nou could generate between £425m and £450m in revenue each year. Olive underlined the stadium’s importance to Barcelona’s wider financial recovery.

“When the study was carried out and the investors joined, it was estimated that we would generate between £350m and £375m,” he said.

“We thought we would have greater difficulty selling the executive boxes, but they have been almost completely sold. The success has been outstanding. Revenue is now estimated at between £425m and £450m.”