FC Barcelona – coach, finances and Messi’s demands: These are Barca’s construction sites

FC Barcelona are plagued by immense debts, and a loan is supposed to provide relief. At the same time, the future of coach Ronald Koeman and superstar Lionel Messi remains open. SPOX and Goal illuminate Barca’s construction sites.

Become a national coach or do you train for the next world club? It is a luxury problem that the outgoing Bayern coach Hansi Flick apparently has to solve at the moment, or is allowed to.

The 56-year-old is said to be very popular at Barca, at least the Catalan radio station reports RAC 1 already of contact between Flick and Barcelona President Joan Laporta. The chair of the current coach Ronald Koeman is wobbling again after the finally playful championship, the Dutchman could still have to leave this summer despite the contract until 2022.

It is clear that the job at Barca should be tempting for Flick. After all, one of the largest and most prestigious clubs in the world is vying for his services. But even he will not be able to avoid seeing the big problems that the Blaugrana currently have.

SPOX and Goal take a look at Barca’s most obvious construction sites.

Construction site 1: Barca and the love of money

It’s an unimaginable number: 1.173 billion euros. That is how high the debts are that plague FC Barcelona at the moment. “On the verge of bankruptcy,” the club wrote The world after publication of the figures at the beginning of the year.

The liabilities are therefore even more worrying than previously assumed, for the first time they exceeded the one billion euro mark. The coronavirus pandemic, which has now been going on for more than a year, has of course accelerated the progression of the economic problems, but the immense transfer expenses in recent years and above all the exorbitant salaries of the players are two main reasons for the misery.

The fact that around 730 million euros of the total debt has to be paid off in the short term intensifies the concerns of the Catalans – although a loan is now apparently intended to provide at least a partial remedy.

According to Spanish media reports, the US investment bank Goldman Sachs has approved a loan of 500 million euros to Barca. The club could at least restructure the short-term debt payments, a first tranche of 100 million euros is to be paid out immediately in order to be able to settle outstanding player salaries and service bank loans.

Relief that Barca urgently needs not only economically but also indirectly in terms of sport. Because finances and football success are closely related, especially in Barca’s current situation.