Barcelona under more salary limit pressure as auditor threatens €100m VIP seats deal | OneFootball

Barcelona could be facing another summer of minimal investment in their senior squad, as they face more salary limit pressure. In December they agreed a deal to sell off a package for VIP seats at Camp Nou once it is renovated to the tune of €100m to ease their salary limit woes, but they could find themselves back in hot water again this summer.

Clubs in La Liga and Segunda are required to submit audited accounts to La Liga by the end of March so that they can be reviewed and salary limits can be calculated ahead of the summer transfer window. However with less than a week before those accounts are due, Barcelona find themselves in a stand off with auditors Crowe.

Barcelona decided not to renew their contract with previous auditors Grant Thornton, after the latter decided that losses accumulated on the deal to sell shares in Barca Vision in the club’s accounts last year, also hurting their salary limit capacities. This time round the issue is the deal to lease out 475 VIP seats for 30 years to New Era Visionary Group and Forta Advisors. That deal allowed them to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, as well as sign several major contracts with Ronald Araujo, Gavi and Pedri.

Crowe maintain, as per Cadena SER, that the €100m deal cannot be included in this year’s accounts as the asset does not exist yet. Barcelona have maintained their stance that it should be accounted for this year, but Crowe have given Barcelona two options: either to divide the fees between the 30 years of the lease, or to only account the €58m in fees that has already been received this season.

At a minimum, it would result in Barcelona being €42m shorter in their salary limit calculations than they had planned for. Barcelona and Crowe now have until the end of March to reach an agreement on how to resolve the matter. The radio outlet note that Barcelona would be in excess of their salary limit already, and any signings would be difficult. They do say that the registration of Olmo and Victor is not in danger.

It has been previously reported that Barcelona Director of Football Deco is unsure of what budget he will have to work with for the summer, and this would certainly tally with report. This would not have been an issue had Barcelona returned to Camp Nou this season, but with delays taking work at least into next season, that now seems impossible, despite the original return date being set at November of 2024.