Positive financial result expected
© Imago
FC Barcelona has been struggling with the salary limit in Spanish football for years – a consequence of a debt mountain in times of financial excess of over one billion euros. Nevertheless, the Catalan season signs stars for large millions and corresponding salaries. In the past few years, they have crossed their limit again and again and were unable to register players for the game for weeks. Nico Williams (22) from the Athletic Club should be the next top obligation. According to Spanish media reports, Barça wants to pull the exit clause over around 62 million euros in early July. Against this background, the question arises: Why is the Spanish triplicate winner convinced that it will be different with the foreign striker than with Dani Olmo (27)?
“I believe that we will be able to sign players, we will move as part of the 1-1 rule, and I hope that will stay that way for many years,” said club president Joan Laporta in mid-May at the “Jijantes” internet channel about the transfer summer. Both the 62-year-old and sports director Deco and coach Hansi Flick have always been optimistic in recent months that further reinforcement is not only possible for the squad, but also necessary. The 1-1 rule is the instrument that is supposed to help Barcelona, alongside goalkeeper Joan García (24), who comes from city rival Espanyol for 25 million euros, also Roony Bardghji (19, costs around 2 million euros) and Williams.
Barça’s hope: TM expert explains Laligas 1-1 rule
“The 1: 1 rule states that an association can spend as much money on transfers as it takes in, be it through sales or salary savings. In other words: an association for which the 1-1 rule applies, can spend one euro for any euro taken,” explains Iván Fuente, content manager at transfer market Spain. However, the prerequisite for this is that the club complies with the salary limit defined by Laliga. “In general, all clubs that have not exceeded their salary limit fall under the 1-1 rule. The pitfalls of the FCB are not in the money, but compliance with the Laliga fair play rules.”
As Barça’s main problem, Fuente is that it is not yet known how Laliga reacts to Barcelona’s financial result for the 2024/25 season and to what extent the framework is changed. “If Barça sells a player for 20 million euros and this player earns one million a year, you will receive 21 million for the salary limit. If you meet the 1-1 rule, you can spend the entire money. If this is not the case, you may only use 50 percent, 30 percent or 25 percent.” Or nothing. “
Contracts with new players can be signed in the latter case, but the professionals receive no justification for the game. In recent years, Laliga Barça’s expenditure limit had partially reduced drastically downwards. In February 2024, according to Laliga boss Javier Tebas, who is constantly at war with the association, it was 204 million euros and thus around 200 million below the actual expenses. A particularly prominent example of the problem was Olmo: the international who came from Leipzig a year ago could only be registered on the basis of Andreas Christensen’s injury and an exemption. In winter there was a new inconvenience, in which the state judiciary ultimately even turned on to overrun the association and explain the playmaker for the second half of the season (more on this here).
Nico Williams: Why FC Barcelona is optimistic in the 1-1 rule
In the past season, there was already an update: In September 2024, the Salary Cap was raised to EUR 426 million, in winter 2025 by another 37 million euros. The club will experience the final figures and thus the financial framework for the summer transfer window in early July. In view of the sporting and financial results of the past year, Laporta and Co. are optimistic to fall under the 1-1 rule. So Williams could change at the beginning of the month.
According to “Radio Bilbao”, its employer actively acts against this plan, it is certain that Barcelona violates the Financial FairPlay if the attacker bound by 2027 changes. Athletic should not accept installment payments for Williams, pose the transfer in one fell swoop. The club defends its interests and will “ensure that the rules are enforced.”
In the Barcelona Forum at the transfer market, Barça expert “La-Masia” explains that “the financial year 2024/25 (ends on June 30th) was financially successful and Barcelona will show a profit. Budgeted income of 893 million euros. Laporta has confirmed that a total of approx. 950 million euros are over 50 million more than Budgeted, which I have said several times here: the club is booming on the revenue side.
This is how FC Barcelona collects the money for Nico Williams
The sponsorship yields have increased to a record level, as well as the income from merchandising. The ticket sales are therefore also above what had been budgeted for the season, and the Champions League with the quarter and not with the semi-finals was also planned. In addition, the Nou Camp, which is being enlarged to up to 105,000 places, should be released for the new season after two years in the Olympic Stadium – even if it is not yet finished. The already completed sale of 475 of the 9,400 planned VIP places should count in the 2024/25 financial year. In addition, the “Bild” recently reported that a payment by the German investor company “Libero Football Finance” was expected over 40 million euros. This has entered Barça in 2023, but has so far only transferred 20 million to the planned 60 million euros. However, this is planned for the budget 2025/26.
The club hopes for additional financial scope through player exits: The contract with large earner Clément Lenglet (30, free of charge to Atlético) has already been resolved, Álex Valle (21) sold to Como for 6 million euros. Iñaki Peña (26), Marc-André Ter Stegen (33) and Ronald Araujo (26) should also go. Ansu Fati (22) faces a loan with a purchase option for AS Monaco, extends his contract beforehand and distributes his previous salary to 2028 instead of 2027 – should it not be transferred until then.
The extension with Lamine Yamal (17), who is now not only the most valuable player in the world, but also the best paid Barcelona professional, is not concerned. In November, Laliga had changed the rules for new contracts among young players so that they can be kept in the club in the event of large performance jumps and did not follow the money directly to another league. The amount that goes beyond the Salary Cap, which is paid to the talent, is deducted from the sum that is available for access and extensions in the future. This construct gives Barça scope to bind youngsters like Lamine Yamal, without blowing up the financial regulations.
Regarding FFP and the functionality, there are enough sources on the net. For example, on the official homepage of the association.
The situation here is also relatively simple:
The financial year 2024/2025 ends on June 30, 2025. This is the relevant deadline for Barcelona and also for the FFP, because whether we have written profit or loss has a direct influence.
There are two decisive factors for the transfer window of Barcelona:
1. Is Barcelona back in the much -cited 1: 1 rule? Then K …
“You will see what it looks like on the cost side,” says TM-user “La-Masia”. “But I strongly assume that we can show a profit. The fact that we pulled the clause of Joan García before the end of the financial year clearly suggests that the year was financially more successful than budgeted and the profit would have been significantly higher. If you were at the limit, then you would only have done the transfer in the new financial year (from July 1). (…) If Barça is again in the 1-1 rule, we will know in July. As soon as the league confirms this to the club and we also know the exact FFP margin (the financial scope that an association has within its top border for salaries and transfers; editor’s note), the AK is activated by Nico Williams. ”