Barcelona

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu reveals £182m loss

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 26 July 2020

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu reveals that the Catalan giants are facing losses of £182m in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has lifted the lid on the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Catalan giants.

With teams across the globe losing out on matchday revenue through behind-closed-doors fixtures - while still having to keep up with a hefty wage bill - the worldwide outbreak has had a devastating impact on clubs' finances.

Barca have been persistently linked with a big-money move for Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, but Bartomeu has cast doubt over the club's transfer prospects after revealing the extent of La Blaugrana's losses.

"We saw that there was a pandemic worldwide and said that it would be a complex summer with swap deals, and that's what is happening," Bartomeu told Mundo Deportivo.

"Since March 14 we have not received a euro. We have missed out on €200 million (£182m). €200m!

"We have recovered a lot by reducing wages and using ERTE's (Temporary Employment Regulation File, with the government paying 70% of wages).

"We have had to close the shops and the museum, there have been no ticket sales. We have paid back the ticket money for matches fans couldn't attend. €200m is a big blow.

"This pandemic will have effects for two or three seasons. Nobody should think that things will be fixed by next season. The great financial gurus talk about four years, but I think football will go faster."

A recent report claimed that Barca had placed 12 players on the transfer list as they look to balance the books during this period of financial uncertainty.