The continued financial difficulties of Barcelona have been extensively reported in recent years.



It has considerably affected things on the field. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/real-madrid-tv-schedule/">Real Madrid</a>’s rout of the Blaugrana and subsequent <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/spanish-supercopa-tv-schedule/">Spanish Super Cup</a> victory last Sunday made that point very clear.



Though he knows it would be very doubtful due to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/barcelona-tv-schedule/">Barcelona</a>‘s financial problems, Xavi Hernandez is still hoping for fresh additions this month. To his relief, his prayers might soon be heard, and his hopes and wishes may eventually come true.



<h2>Deco and Xavi disagree over targeted Barcelona January signings</h2>



The sale of Barca Studios is nearing completion, which would provide much-needed revenue to Barcelona, according to <a href="https://www.sport.es/es/noticias/barca/barca-prepara-fichar-96933125" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SPORT</a>. The Catalan newspaper adds that in the next few days, the club will decide between two potential purchasers. The club has already prepared the necessary paperwork. The selected fund must pay $54 million upfront.



Thus, Barca should be able to make another signing this month once these funds materialize. They had long planned Vitor Roque’s arrival from Athletico Paranaense. Undoubtedly, this is huge news, and it’s just what the team needed after last weekend’s crushing loss.



The team’s upper management views strengthening the midfield of the field as their top priority. However, the report claims that there are several inconsistencies with the anticipated profile that should arrive.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240117_WST_483892_Xavi-Barcelona-1200x670_323a7758.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=670" alt="" class="wp-image-483916" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Xavi-Barcelona-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Xavi-Barcelona-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Xavi-Barcelona-768x429.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Xavi-Barcelona.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



Since <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/messi-and-former-barcelona-teammates-can-overhaul-inter-miami-20230629-WST-439513.html">Sergio Busquets</a>‘ departure created an obvious hole, the transfer window would be ideal for bringing in a suitable successor. Thus, Deco is putting his money on a defensive midfielder coming to the club.



Oriol Romeu is the only defensive midfielder on the roster at the moment. But the Blaugrana coach has no intention of including him in their plans. In the meantime, Xavi reportedly thinks they should bounce back from Gavi’s injury with a profile similar to his.



It is quite probable that the Camp Nou outlet will go with the option of signing a player on loan until the season ends. On the other hand, they do not completely dismiss the possibility of a permanent transfer.



<h2>Pulling economic levers never an easy job</h2>



Due to budget constraints imposed by La Liga, Barca has had to pull several economic “levers” in the last several summers. These, in turn, have allowed them to sign new players and extend existing contracts.



One approach to do this has been to sell off parts of different assets and sources of future revenue. But it seems like getting their hands on the cash hasn’t been exactly a picnic.



The Spanish news agency <a href="https://efe.com/deportes/2023-12-31/barsa-vision-libero-demanda/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EFE</a> said this month that the club is suing German investment company Libero about a 10 percent stake in Barca Vision. It was originally scheduled to be paid in August, but that date was later pushed out to December 31, 2023.



Joan Laporta is ready to initiate legal proceedings now that the extended deadline has passed, and the $43 million payment appears to have been non-existent. According to earlier reports, Libero insisted on specific assurances before payment. However, Barcelona flatly refused to provide them.



PHOTOS: IMAGO

New economic lever opens Barcelona door to January signings

There has been ample coverage the inability for Barcelona to make new signings, but that may change in January.

Clubs around the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> are currently feeling the effects of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. The January transfer period has now been open for more than two weeks. However, most English top-flight teams have yet to make any significant moves just yet. 



While this can change in the second half of the month, it seems as if these clubs are handcuffed at the moment. This is mostly due to intense overall summer spending by Premier League teams. The 20 clubs combined to record a net spend of about $1.3 billion during the summer transfer market.



On average, each team had a net spending of around $68 million during this timeframe. Bigger clubs, however, offset this figure. For instance, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> recorded a net spend of nearly $215 million and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/manchester-united-tv-schedule/">Manchester United</a> spent $159 million after selling select players. Despite spending heavily, both clubs are currently struggling this season.



<h2>Transfers down compared to last year</h2>



Heavy summer spending had previously not stopped certain clubs from spending even more in January. However, these teams are now more worried about FFP regulations. This is perhaps partially down to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/everton-tv-schedule/">Everton</a> receiving a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/everton-receives-record-points-deduction-from-premier-league-20231117-WST-470890.html">10-point deduction</a> in November for violating the financial laws. It was the harshest punishment ever for a Premier League club.



The Toffees, however, may soon face further punishment as they were <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/everton-and-nottingham-forest-charged-with-ffp-violations-20240115-WST-483518.html">recently hit</a> with additional charges. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/nottingham-forest-tv-schedule-for-us-viewers/">Nottingham Forest</a> was also accused of similar infractions in the latest round of charges as well. Current FFP rules state that clubs cannot record losses exceeding $134 million over three years. This equates to about $44.6 million per year.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240117_WST_483843_Everton-FFP-1200x670_973929aa.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=670" alt="" class="wp-image-483902" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Everton-FFP-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Everton-FFP-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Everton-FFP-768x429.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/Everton-FFP.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



With so many Premier League sides close to the loss limit, there has been limited action in the January market. Inglish top flight sides have combined to spend less than $40 million during the month so far. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/tottenham-tv-schedule/">Tottenham Hotspur</a>‘s $27 million deal with Genoa for defender Radu Dragusin is a large chunk of this figure. Spurs could eventually pay the Italian side a little more in the future, assuming additional stipulations are met.



Premier League teams combined to spend $436 million at this stage of the January window in 2023. Chelsea’s $100 million deal to sign Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/liverpool-tv-schedule/">Liverpool</a>‘s $45 million move for Cody Gakpo highlighted these figures. In the end, top English teams collectively recorded a net spend of $785 million during January 2023.



The 2022/23 season, however, was not exactly an outlier. Premier League clubs combined to spend $71 million at this stage of January in 2021. These teams ended up shelling out around $228 million by the end of the month during the 2021/22 campaign.



<h2>Premier League clubs hinted at spending restrictions in January</h2>



Spending could certainly increase heading towards the end of the month. After all, clubs tend to wait until they have to make a move before deadline day. This was evident in Chelsea giving Benfica more than $130 million to sign Enzo Fernandez in the final hours of the transfer period last January.



Nevertheless, several team officials have hinted at FFP laws in their lack of movement during the current month. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/arsenal-tv-schedule/">Arsenal</a> manager Mikel Arteta recently <a href="https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/transfer-news/breaking-mikel-arteta-makes-brutal-28396730" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">admitted</a> that the club may not make a January move due to financial constraints. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/newcastle-united-tv-schedule/">Newcastle</a> CEO Darren Eales even <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/newcastle-may-have-to-sell-key-players-to-ease-ffp-concerns-20240112-WST-483024.html">suggested</a> that the club could sell a star player to adhere to the financial rules.



At the bottom of the table, there are concerns about spending significant amounts of money just to suffer relegation. A team like <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/luton-town-tv-schedule-for-us-viewers/">Luton Town</a> could be hamstrung if they sign more players to Premier League contracts. They would quickly need to move on from the players’ wages during the summer months back in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/championship-tv-schedule/">Championship</a>.



PHOTOS: IMAGO

January spending down as Premier League clubs fear FFP rules

The January transfer period has remained relatively quiet in the Premier League so far, as clubs are reportedly worried about spending.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "January"

Barcelona

New economic lever opens Barcelona door to January signings

English Football

January spending down as Premier League clubs fear FFP rules