Barcelona receive €800,000 fine for breaching fair play rules in the signing of 3 players: Reports

Barcelona were recently penalized by La Liga for breaching their "fair play" rules on three separate occasions. According to journalist Sergi Escudero in the newspaper ARA (via GOAL), the penalties were due to the deals of three players in particular and will see the club pay a €800,000 fine.

Barca signed Dani Alves and Andreas Christensen, while also renewing the contract of Ronald Araujo. However, these signings and the contract renewal were said to have breached Fair Play rules, as they used their now-popular "economic levers" to secure them. The Blaugrana have appealed these sanctions to the RFEF UEFA license second instance committee.

In addition to the penalties, the Spanish League has implemented new rules regarding the use of "economic levers," or the sale of club assets, to sign and extend player contracts. According to ARA, the league will now only allow five percent of the total income from the sale of assets to be used for this purpose.

This is unless the asset being sold is a new business line created by the club. In that case, the club can use the full amount of additional income.

The news of these penalties and regulatory changes comes at a time when Barcelona are already facing various financial challenges. The club are struggling with debts, which have led to cuts in player salaries and other expenses in order to stay afloat. Despite these difficulties, the club has remained competitive on the pitch and is currently sitting at the top of the La Liga table.

It remains to be seen how these recent developments will impact Barca's financial situation and ability to sign and retain top players in the future. The club's appeal to the RFEF UEFA license second instance committee may result in a reduction or overturning of the penalties. However, the new rules regarding the use of "levers" will likely have a more lasting impact on the club's spending power.

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Barcelona are set to let a number of players leave in the summer

Barca have several players whose contracts will expire at the end of the season, including Hector Bellerin and Memphis Depay. However, the club intends to keep some of these players, such as Inaki Pena, Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto, and Arnau Tenas.

According to reports from SPORT, a new deal for Pena is reportedly close to being finalized, and Barcelona are also expected to offer new contracts to Busquets and Roberto. Tenas' contract expires on June 30, but the Blaugrana have the option to extend it for an additional two years, which they plan to do.

Although he may not immediately secure a spot in the starting lineup under Xavi, Tenas is reportedly interested in staying at Barcelona. The club are planning to activate the option for a two-year extension on his contract.