La Liga reduces Barcelona's spending cap to €204m
Real Madrid will have a spending ceiling almost two and a half times higher than its nearest rival and over 10 times more than many of the clubs in Spain according to the information published by La Liga on Tuesday.
Joao Felix (R) of FC Barcelona vies with Juanlu Sanchez of Sevilla FC during a La Liga football match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC in Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 29, 2023. (Photo by Joan Gosa/Xinhua)
The spending limit, which includes wages for players and technical staff, and is calculated by looking at income of clubs in Spain in comparison to their structural costs, and the need to repay outstanding debts and aims to assure the financial stability of the competition.
Real Madrid will be able to spend much more than anyone else: in 2024, the club will have a spending ceiling of 727 million euros (787 million U.S. dollars), while is almost two and a half times higher than Atletico Madrid, whose limit is 303 million euros, slightly higher than for 2023.
FC Barcelona's crippling debts of over 1,000 million euros mean it is the big loser in terms of spending, with its ceiling dropping from 270 million euros down to 204 million euros.
This will further limit the club's options of signing and paying the wages of star players and it's hard to see how they will be able to improve a squad, that has shown itself to be inferior to Real Madrid's (especially as Real Madrid is expected to sign Kyian Mbappe this summer.)
Other clubs have much lower wage ceilings, with Villarreal allowed to spend 143 million, Sevilla 152 million and Real Sociedad, close to 145 million.
The numbers highlight the incredible job done by Girona, with the side who is currently second in La Liga, only allowed to spend 52 million euros, with only Cadiz, Alaves, Rayo Vallecano, Getafe and Las Palmas below them in terms of spending limitations.
The vast difference between Real Madrid and the rest of the clubs in Spain will also raise questions over the competitiveness of La Liga, given the huge advantage Real Madrid will enjoy.