Barcelona vice-president on the arrival of 18-year-old whizkid in January: “We’ll do everything possible”

Barcelona’s economic vice-president Eduard Romeu recently spoke to Mundo Deportivo, providing insights on the club’s finances.

He also talked about various other topics including Vitor Roque and a new accusation from the Treasury regarding payments to the agents in the 2015-2018 period.

Barcelona’s financial situation

“From the first moment we said that our obsession was to achieve a balance in the budget and that the income was sufficient to meet the expenses,” Romeu said when asked about how Barcelona’s expenses continue to exceed despite summer savings.

Romeu further said that Barça are hopeful of turning things back in their favour from the 2024/25 season onwards.

“We have denounced the figure of €200 million that we once said was a recurring loss each year from the beginning,” he said.

“It is not something new, but it comes from the 2017-18 season, and fortunately, we have been able to stop the drain. In the 2023-24 season we are capable of reversing this situation,” he added.

Romeu went on to address further details ahead of Barcelona’s 2023/24 budget. “Without the application of levers, we have to be able to obtain a positive result and the budget contemplates it. We will be able to achieve it in record time,” he said.

On Roque, Messi

The Barcelona economic vice-president also answered queries on Vitor Roque and whether or not the club will be able to register the Brazilian in January.

“We’ll see how all this evolves. We have two windows, one possible in January and another in June. It will depend on the technical staff. As always, we will do everything possible to please the coach, who is in charge of this,” he said.

In case Xavi does want to sign Vitor Roque in January, Romeu laid out all the factors Barça must meet in order to do so.

“We have to generate enough fair play and, as we have always said, we will do everything possible and impossible to please the coach, as we have done to date. We are not suspected of not complying with it,” said the Spaniard.

There have been some rumours about Barça considering signing Lionel Messi on loan in January, but Romeu shot down those speculations, saying:

“We want to honour Messi when the circumstances are right. He deserves it and we are looking forward to it. The rest is just speculation we don’t talk about…”

Romeu was asked about fresh accusations on Barcelona regarding payments to agents between 2015-2018.

“Justice ruled in our favor, therefore we were released. The Treasury insists on another route, we have well defined this route and we think that it will not prosper,” he said.

“But, even if they are unrelated issues, it is something that must be faced. It is something that affects many clubs because many clubs did it in the same way, therefore I understand that it will not prosper either and that they will prove us right again,” he added.