International Leagues

The incredible €110m deals that saved Barcelona from debt

By Adedamola Samuel

Barcelona made 3 deals on transfer deadline day with Antoine Griezmann returning to Atletico Madrid, Emerson Royal being sold to Tottenham Hotspur and Ilaix Moriba completing a move to RB Leipzig. These deals will save Barcelona up to €110m in the next 12 months.

Barcelona made 3 deals on transfer deadline day with Antoine Griezmann returning to Atletico Madrid, Emerson Royal being sold to Tottenham Hotspur and Ilaix Moriba completing a move to RB Leipzig. These deals will save Barcelona up to €110m in the next 12 months.

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As the summer transfer window came to a close yesterday, a frenzy of deals were made across several clubs and leagues. Some of them were shocking with no prior rumours about them. One club that the transfer deadline day favoured was Spanish giants, FC Barcelona, who were able to move on some players from the club. 

With a target of significantly reducing their wage bill this summer, the Catalan club had earlier sold a raft of players and let others go e.g. Lionel Messi. However, they faced an uphill battle with many high-earners still on the books and not so many sales sanctioned. On the final day, it seemed they were going to fail at meeting their target of reducing their wage bill but towards the end 3 deals were made that sorted that. 

First, the Catalan club were able to negotiate with Atletico Madrid for the transfer of Antoine Griezmann. The French international thus sealed a return to the Wanda Metropolitano in an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy for €40m. This deal alone would save Barcelona up to €24m in salaries for the Frenchman and also earn them income of €40m by next season. 

Secondly, the La Liga giants sold want-away youngster Ilaix Moriba to RB Leipzig. The Guinean had refused to sign a contract extension and he was let go for a modest €16m transfer fee. Additionally, Barcelona made another €30m for the sale of Brazilian defender, Emerson Royal to Tottenham Hotspur. These 3 deals have earned the club €46m in transfer fees immediately with another €40m to come next summer coupled with the €24m they've saved on Griezmann. This comes to a total of €110m,  a significant chunk of the €1.3bn they currently owe.


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