Report – The amount Barcelona have freed up in their wage bill in anticipation of star signing’s arrival | OneFootball

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are currently in a public tussle over the future of Julian Alvarez, and Los Rojiblancos are not making it easy for the Catalans.

From public messages to filing for legal action, they have thrown the kitchen sink to ensure that Barcelona do not sign their star striker. The player, however, is longing for the move to Catalonia.

At this point, it is indeed anyone’s battle to win and Alvarez’s future is in a state of complete uncertainty. Barcelona, for their part, are keeping all the circumstances amicable for the potential transfer.

Wage roll cleared

As reported by MARCA, a €100 million signing of Alvarez on a five-year deal will amount to an annual amortisation of €20 million excluding the player’s salary.

Needless to say, the Blaugrana’s priority is to ensure they have sufficient space on their roster.

Barcelona’s priority target. (Photo by Rodrigo Valle/Getty Images)

They have, on that front, taken massive steps in terms of player renewals and departures, both of which have helped clear the bill.

Robert Lewandowski’s sale directly cleared €25 million gross from Barcelona’s pay slip and also took €12.5 million away from the club in terms of pending amortisation. The total relief, thus, amounts to €37.5 million.

Ansu Fati’s departure, which was confirmed yesterday, also takes a massive weight of €12 million per season directly off the wage bill.

The renewal of Andreas Christensen also lightens the weight on the wage bill as the defender has halved his salary from €12 million to €6 million. Inaki Pena’s departure frees €3 million from the wage bill.

Lewandowski’s exit has helped Barcelona with Fair Play. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Casado’s anticipated departures will likely release an additional €5 million.

All in all, Barcelona have reached a grand total of €58 million without the pending sales.

The impact of the arrival

Added to the long list of salaries saved, however, is the expense of Anthony Gordon’s transfer and the salary he will receive, both of which take away some of Barcelona’s newly created space.

Combining salary and amortisation, Gordon’s transfer will require €25 million, meaning that the Catalans have a sum of €33 million remaining to accommodate Alvarez and any further signings.

Considering that even Joao Cancelo is likely to join, Barcelona still require some movement on the departure front to comfortably accommodate the Argentine star.