Barcelona exceeding ‘Fair Play’ by €30 million, have to operate under 1:3 rule in January

Barcelona have been at odds with La Liga’s Financial Fair Play regulations for a while now. The club have an inflated wage budget which could subject them to the 1:3 rule for the upcoming January transfer window.

It essentially means that for every euro spent, the club will have to earn three. It could potentially put them in a spot of bother, especially if they are to sign a few new players next month.

According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are currently over the Financial Fair Play margin by a total of €30 million, which puts them under the 1:3 rule. Their early exit from the Champions League group stages has denied them a potential income of €27 million.

Barcelona have made some ground with the retirement of Gerard Pique. The defender, who has written off pending dues from the club, was on a relatively high salary package at Camp Nou. But his exit means the Catalans have recovered a chunk of their wage budget.

In addition, Barça’s deal with Ukrainian cryptocurrency company WhiteBit has helped them generate further revenue. WhiteBit are expected to pay the club €10+2 million each year, but it is not computed in a literal sense by La Liga.

In fact, the deal with WhiteBit may only help Barcelona generate only €5 million for the FFP equation as the season is at its midpoint.

Barcelona are actively working on ways to generate more money. While WhiteBit was a solution of sorts, the club are hoping to raise funds from the sale of Memphis Depay in January while they are also looking for a sleeve sponsor.