Barcelona ‘will be able to register players’ in the summer, confirms Joan Laporta

There is not much clarity over Barcelona’s situation on various fronts ahead of the new season. The Catalans have had no dearth of links in the transfer market, but the constant delay in executing the operations has raised questions about their economic situation.

Further, La Liga’s prolonged check on the economic viability plan did not do the Blaugranas any favours. At the moment, there is a grey area over how many players Barcelona need to sell in the coming month and their ability to sign players.

In a meeting with the club senators earlier today, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta spoke about the aforementioned topics and provided the latest updates on the situation. As revealed by SPORT, he first commented on the sporting situation and the ambition for next season.

“We have achieved the goal but we want more. Me, the first one. We are demanding, we are running the best club in the world. We work hard to reinforce the first team, we want to aspire to win everything and participate with high chances of winning in all competitions.”

Laporta then touched on the elephant in the room and spoke about the wage bill and registering power of the club. He acknowledged that all was not well, but gave the audience reasons to be optimistic.

“We have reduced the wage bill but the value of the players has grown. We have a more competitive and rejuvenated workforce. We are on the right track. La Liga has approved the viability plan for the next two years. We will be able to register players.”

The Negreira case allegations earlier this season came as a black mark on the reputation of the Catalan giants. The president maintained that there was never any illegal element to the transactions done, saying:

“We have never taken any La Liga to get arbitration favours. There is no illegal action. It was made in a clear and transparent way, with the corresponding invoices, payments via bank transfer and reflected in the books. There has never been a desire to hide anything.”

With Spotify Camp Nou officially heading into a renovation, the Azulgranas will play next season with the Montjuic Stadium as their foster home. Speaking about the Espai Barća project, he called it the ‘best gift’ for the next generation.

“The Espai Barća project doesn’t put sports policy at risk nor does it mortgage the club’s assets. The new Spotify Camp Nou and the new Palau is the best legacy that we will leave to our children and grandchildren,” Laporta said.

Finally, Laporta had words of encouragement for the women’s team of Barcelona who won the UEFA Women’s Champions League earlier this month in a thrilling comeback win in the finals.

“They have achieved excellence with effort, work, perseverance, and commitment. It was a great joy to win the Champions League.”