Report: Jordi Alba agrees to a 25% pay-cut and wage deferral

According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Jordi Alba is the second Barcelona captain to accept a wage cut after Gerard Pique.

The Spanish media house also reports that his salary has been reduced by 25% after a mutual agreement was reached between the board and the player. Additionally, Alba has deferred the payment of a part of his remaining wages until 2024.

This would mean that in addition to the 25% reduction in salary, the club will not have to pay Alba the entire agreed amount this season. His kind gesture provides the board with breathing space amidst the worrying economic situation and the flood of debt.

Gerard Pique was the first captain to accept a pay cut earlier this month. It was the centre-back’s reduction in wage that helped Barcelona register their new signings Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia.

Joan Laporta mentioned in his press release that the club’s wage roll was 105% of the revenue generated. Moreover, the figure was far above the league’s imposed limit of 70%.

The captains have always been the ones to lead from the front — on and off the pitch. While they have been vocal and dominant figures on the field, their actions off the pitch will count for a lot now.

Citing the likes of Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba as examples, the club will try to impose reductions in salaries on the other members of the team. The likes of Antoine Griezmann and Phillipe Coutinho are on wages that the club can barely afford to pay, and striking deals with the players will be crucial.