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Spanish giants Barcelona did a fine job in the summer transfer market, signing quite a few players, including Polish striker Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich. However, it is astonishing that the club owes around €144 million to various clubs, including transfers they had had in the past years for some now-former Barca players. The Catalans reportedly owe €50 million for former transfers of Miralem Pjanic and Philippe Coutinho, while both have left the club permanently, playing for Sharjah FC and Aston Villa, respectively. Barcelona bought Coutinho for €160 million from Liverpool in 2018, making it one of the most expensive transfers for the club.
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However, Coutinho mostly spent his time away from the club on loan to German champion Bayern Munich and Villa before the latter scalped him up permanently. According to a news by AS, Barcelona’s latest economic report, due to be presented this month, will show an outstanding due of €144 million.
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Meanwhile, it is also reported that the club is owed around €130 million, thanks to their latest arranged deals with staggering pay structures. Barcelona is due to pay €46 million for Frenkie de Jong and Sergino Dest to Ajax and €52 million for Ferran Torres to English champion Manchester City.
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Also, Barcelona is owed €10 million by Villa for Coutinho and €6 million by Wolverhampton Wanderers for Trincao. The club’s financial status has improved considerably than it was in the last season when it was severely struggling. In the meantime, Eduard Romeu (Barca’s Vice-President of Economics) has affirmed that things are far from settled.
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“We have saved Barça, but we still haven’t resolved it. We don’t have it healthy; it involves a lot of austerity, rigour, and work. In the 2024/25 season, we will be at the level corresponding to us,” explained Romeu.