the summer transfer window enters the Soap Opera phase.......... Chelsea are ready to sign Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 25, and Gabon forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 33, if Barcelona decide to sell them. (Sky Sports) Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal worth more than 80m euros (£67.6m) with Barcelona for De Jong.(Sport - in Spanish) The Blues are waiting on a decision from De Jong, who would prefer to move to Stamford Bridge rather than join Manchester United, while also continuing to pursue a deal for Leicester City's French defender Wesley Fofana, 21. (Times - subscription required) Manchester United have not given up on signing De Jong and are confident he will move to Old Trafford once they resolve the issue of the players' deferred wages with Barcelona. (90min) Barcelona's Spain defender Gerard Pique, 35, has offered to play for free in order to help the club meet La Liga's financial fair play rules and register their new signings. (AS - in Spanish)
I'm all for it. If you don't make your club's league squad you're automatically released from your contract.
Read an explanation of that deal. Don’t know if it’s the truth precisely, or if it’s partially true or a complete lie, but it sounds right. And hoo-boy have Barca really screwed the pooch here. So apparently Barcelona didn't directly sell their TV rights to Sixth Streets. What happened was a third company was set up as a joint investment by Barcelona and Sixth Streets. Sixth Streets invested €517 million, while Barcelona invested €150 million and the new company used the €667 million investment to buy 25% of La Liga TV rights for 25 years. The earnings received by this company will go to Sixth Streets alone. While Barcelona received only €517 million for selling their TV rights, they declared €667 million as the income received from the deal, which includes the €150 million which they gave to themselves. So what about the €150 million which they had to spend? They amortized it over 25 years for duration of the investment period and thus the books showed only a spending of €6 million, generating an extra €144 million on top of the actual €517 million they received. This money of course didn't exist, it was merely accounting tricks. Such tricks may or may not be legal, but La Liga nevertheless has its own rules and regulations, and refused to consider this as a proper income for the salary limit calculations. This is why they still can't register their new signings. The cherry on top is that this will be classified as Capital Gains. Which means they would have to pay Capital Gains Tax, which is around 23% in Spain. So Barcelona would end up paying around €34.5 million extra to the government for trying and failing to do an accounting trick which they didn't even bother checking whether La Liga would allow it or not. And I don't think Laporta got the permission or even informed the socios about this investment from the club's part either.
See that’s the point. I’m not sure they are getting away with it, are they? La Liga have cracked down and you’d better believe the Spanish Government will come knocking looking for their cut. Looks like Barca have always thought that because they are an institution, because they are special, because they demand and usually have received special treatment, that this palaver would be the same as before. Except not. Call them the Donald Trump of Spanish football clubs.
Man City can easily take the hit as far as $ goes - not quite so sure they can take it as far as a player of that quality goes.... unless Foden is going to play a lot more in midfield...
Smaller clubs who can't hoover up talent. Would love to see an abolition of loans for players over 22. This would tie nicely with the cancellation of contracts for players not named in the league squads. Which would then tie in nicely with a salary cap for the 25 players named in UEFA competition squads. All of which would serve the interest of the game much more than that of the biggest clubs. Limit the spiraling wages, keep clubs from hoarding talent, and give players more more ability to move clubs. 1. No loans for players over 22. 2. Salary cap for 25 players named in UEFA competition squads (or league squad if clubs not qualifying for UEFA competition) 3. Players not named in UEFA/league competition squads over 22 are released from their contracts. Give clubs a 2 year runway to get in line. If the clubs want to try to go to a Super League then tell the players they'll no longer be eligible for UEFA sanctioned events (Champions League, European Championships, World Cup qualifiers). See how many stick around.
When UEFA kicks them out of the CL for breaking FFP rules (which they clearly have as they've been a loss-making machine for a decade+) then I'll consider them having been punished. When they're docked league points or removed from La Liga for their financial irregularities, then they'll have been punished.
What would barca gain from Catalonia independence? Spain would just say f you we got atletico to compete with real. That would leave barca trying to sell a league where beating español is the big thing and of course secured cl football. They'd be a Luxemburg team with money and some status
None of the most powerful entities in the game want a salary cap; not players, agents, or clubs. I think it's an interesting idea... I don't know a ton about EU labor laws, but I wonder how that would apply considering the precedent that's already established.
Comments in bold .... 1. No loans for players over 22. OK I guess, but not sure why it matters. Who cares? A good well -thought-out loan for any player can be a 3-way win. 2. Salary cap for 25 players named in UEFA competition squads (or league squad if clubs not qualifying for UEFA competition) Would be good, but dream on. I believe it is illegal within EU countries' labour laws (IIRC). 3. Players not named in UEFA/league competition squads over 22 are released from their contracts. Manager wants rid of a player so he simply takes his name off a list - and boom he's unemployed? Never gonna happen. Players would strike in a heartbeat and would win in any UK/EU court. And club owners would say "Oh, OK - he cost 50 million but push him out, no probs"? Jeez. If the clubs want to try to go to a Super League then tell the players they'll no longer be eligible for UEFA sanctioned events (Champions League, European Championships, World Cup qualifiers). See how many stick around. IIRC that's what UEFA did say when the SL idea was floated.