Barcelona were close to securing an agreement on Friday for a 122 million euros ($145 million) cut in players’ salaries this season to help offset the financial hole left by the coronavirus pandemic.
The deal, announced in a statement by the club, must now be ratified by the players “in the coming days”.
The reduction in their wage bill represents a welcome financial lifeline for Barca, hit hard by the loss of gate receipts at the Camp Nou and other effects of Covid-19 prevention measures.
Barca’s acting president Carles Tusquets has described the financial situation as “not dramatic, but very worrying”.
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Tusquets assumed temporary control following Josep Maria Bartomeu’s resignation last month.
Restoring Barca’s finances will be one of the items on the top of the new president’s in-tray with the election for Bartomeu’s successor to be held on January 24.
A new candidate entered the race for the job on Friday in Joan Laporta, who occupied the position between 2003 and 2010 and led the club to 12 major titles.
(AFP)
