Turmoil in Barcelona dressing room over salary cut - Reports

Barcelona's terrible financial situation has led the club into negotiating with their players to have their wages reduced this summer. As it stands, it looks like all isn't well in the Blaugrana's dressing room.

According to reports, many Barcelona players are not happy with the situation as they are being forced to cut their salaries in order to accommodate recent signings. The likes of Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Rey Manaj were registered only after Gerard Pique agreed to slash his wages.

Q: "Did other players not accept a salary reduction?"Laporta: "The ratio we have in the salary limit is 4 to 1. So we had to release €100m to save €25m. That's a lot. With some players we reached agreements, and with others, we are working. It's not an easy process."

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) August 6, 2021

That act has now put other captains at the club, including Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto, under intense pressure to follow the same path. Some of the fans have turned against the trio as was evident during the clash with Real Sociedad where Alba was booed by the supporters.

It should be recalled that the players had already agreed to lower their wages last season when the club first approached them in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. They are now being asked to make further sacrifices, with loyalty and performance-related bonuses reportedly being taken out.

Barcelona confirm that Pique has taken a substantial pay cut to help the club register Memphis, Eric Garcia and Rey Manaj in La Liga 🤝 pic.twitter.com/HMejI889It

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 14, 2021

As per the report, Barcelona's plan is to first ensure that the captains set an example by agreeing to the wage cut. Following that, they will look to enforce it on other players in the squad.

Gerard Pique agreed to cut his wages last week

Barcelona's financial situation: How poor is it?

Barcelona's economy has hit its worst state in over three decades, with the Catalan giants lacking the revenue to meet their expenses and not even talking of making profits. According to multiple sources, the Catalan giants have a debt of over €1.3 billion, which has accumulated over many years.

Such is the level of economic mess that Barcelona have found themselves in that they couldn't afford to keep their greatest player, Lionel Messi, at Camp Nou. Despite reaching an agreement with the Argentine this summer, the Blaugrana were forced to let him go as they lacked the financial strength to tie him down to a new deal. It remains to be seen how the situation will evolve in the coming weeks.