LaLiga have approved Barcelona‘s two-year financial viability plan in a decision which will allow the Catalan club to register the new contracts signed by Ronald Araujo and Gavi, among others, various sources have confirmed to ESPN.
A source at Barca said the league’s OK, received on Tuesday, means they can also “make advances” in the transfer market after coach Xavi Hernandez confirmed they need to strengthen the squad to compete in the Champions League next season.
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The approval, therefore, could boost their chances of signing Messi, although sources at both LaLiga and Barca added that the club must still adhere to the 40% rule for now, which means they can only spend 40% of anything they save in wages or generate in transfer fees.
In approving Barca’s viability plan, LaLiga have recognised savings the club have already made through the closure of Barca TV and the departures of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, who were two of the biggest earners in the team.
Therefore, Barca will finally register the new contracts signed by Araujo, Gavi, Marcos Alonso, Sergi Roberto and Inaki Pena. They also hope left-back Alejando Balde will commit to a new deal soon following positive talks with his agent, Jorge Mendes.
The Gavi case had been particularly precarious for Barca, with the possibility that he could leave for free this summer if his registration did not go through in time — although the midfielder has always expressed his desire to remain at the club.
Barca had even taken LaLiga to court in January, temporarily getting Gavi registered as a first-team player before another court ruling in March overturned the decision and demanded the Spain international be re-registered on a youth team contract.
Once the renewals have been registered, Barca will turn their attention to summer signings.
Xavi has said bringing back Lionel Messi and replacing the outgoing midfielder Busquets are his top priorities, but defender Inigo Martinez could be first in the door at Spotify Camp Nou.
Martinez, 32, announced Tuesday he would not renew his contract with Athletic Bilbao and is already in Barcelona awaiting for the club to be able to complete the deal which will see him sign on until at least 2025.
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With LaLiga’s approval of their financial plan, a source at Barca says they can now sign players on multi-year deals once again, although the 40% rule will limit their business for now.
Any future incomings, including that of Messi, may be dependent on outgoings first, with a crop of players returning from loans and several first team players all set to be pushed out the door.
Messi announced last weekend that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires this month and Barca, along with Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal and Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami, are keen to sign him.
However, even if Messi were to accept the league’s minimum wage (around €200,000 per year) a LaLiga source explained he would still account for €25 million of the club’s annual spending cap due to a system which takes into account past wages and performances to prevent clubs from cheating fair play regulations.
Messi’s dad, Jorge, said on Monday that his son would love to return to Barca, where he spent 20 years before joining PSG in 2021, but later admitted that a homecoming was “complicated.”