Barcelona must sell before they buy. That was the message from Ferran Olivé, the Catalan club's vice-president for economic affairs, on the prospect of new signings in the January transfer window.
The website Tribuna carried Olivé's remarks from the programme "Que t'hi jugues" on Catalan radio station RAC1. He confirmed the club's finances had improved, but not enough to allow signings without sales first. Hansi Flick's side look in excellent shape, and Barcelona are confident they won't need to dip into the January market at all.
Eight games, eight wins. Barcelona have won every match this season, with two players covering every position in the squad.
Laporta's plan
Olivé is already building next season's budget. Joan Laporta's board wants to restore a neutral net value by 2030, meaning the club sits in neither negative net debt nor surplus.
"Our indicators were negative and it took us five years to reach a 1-1 base," Olivé explained. "It was not easy."
The importance of Spotify Camp Nou
Running through the key points of last Saturday's ordinary general assembly, he turned to the finances of the blue and red club: "For the team to function, the tools must be provided. It is about winning. When we arrived, the (financial) fuel was missing."
His biggest worry lies elsewhere. "What worries me, as the top priority, is completing what remains at Spotify Camp Nou. With the work on the stadium finished and the team performing well, the number of sponsors will grow and we will sell more in the shops. It is a circle. That is why we asked the members to increase the financing limit, because it is the cornerstone of the project."
The vice-president underlined just how much the stadium will mean financially. "When the study was carried out, and the investors came in, it was calculated that revenues would be around 350-375 million euros. We thought we would face greater difficulties in selling the VIP seats, but they were sold almost entirely."
He added: "The success was huge. Revenues are expected to be in the range of 425-450 million euros."