When Joan Laporta started his return term as president in Barcelona, he commented on the financial situation in the club by saying that the club is in worse shape than he expected. Meanwhile, the coronavirus went wild and the situation got even worse. It is estimated that Barcelona lost at least 470 million USD last season. And so far, they have set aside more than 590 million USD for the salaries of their footballers.Therefore, the first goal of the new management was to drastically cut the expenses for the players’ salaries. Lionel Messi has already accepted the new contract for 50 percent less money. But negotiations with other players are not going as smooth. Especially with those who have been there the longest and who should feel for the club the most.Copa Libertadores chaos – tear gas in the Boca Juniors dressing roomHowever, media reports on the situation vary. Catalan Sport writes that there is no agreement with the “holy cows” as they nicknamed Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. On the other hand, Mundo Deportivo, traditionally intimate with every Barcelona administration, says that the problem stands only with Alba. The others did not sign anything but they allegedly expressed their readiness to take their share of the sacrifice.Barcelona certainly must react. There has long been talk of a number of ways in which costs could be reduced, including the Griezmann / Saul swap with of Atletico Madrid. The idea of selling Philippe Coutinho or Ousmane Dembele is not catching on for now, because there are no acceptable offers.A star swap between Barcelona and Juventus on the horizonTherefore, the club is preparing for radical measures. Reportedly, everyone will be given a deadline of August 15 – otherwise, Barcelona may take the players to court, although it makes little sense because it is not clear what the club thinks they will achieve with that, since the contracts are on the side of the players.Pique, Busquets and Roberto are reportedly ready to accept the reduction if their contracts are extended. Alba ‘plays dead’ with other players such as Miralem Pjanić and Samuel Umtiti who are not eager to negotiate. It is more realistic for the club to sell them, if a proper offer appears.The court scenario is no longer such an unrealistic option. Hard times for Barcelona – they made too many wrong moves in recent years.
