2 Barcelona stars willing to take pay cuts to help out club during financial crisis: Reports

The likes of Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets are reportedly willing to take pay cuts to help Barcelona through their financial crisis.

Barcelona have till now failed to register their five new signings and have been told by La Liga that they will need to raise more funds. Barcelona recently tried to inflate the value of two asset sales that they recently made via their own funds. The attempt was blocked by La Liga and the club have been told to activate a 4th economic lever.

This is expected to be done by sanctioning a sale of 25% stake in the content production company owned by the club, Barca Studios. Whether the club can do this before the start of the La Liga season remains to be seen. Barcelona open their season with a fixture against Rayo Vallecano on August 14th.

According to journalist Victor Navarro, Gerard Pique is already negotiating with the club to sign a new contract that will see him take a drastic pay cut. The contract is expected to run till 2024. Sergio Busquets is the second player willing to take a big pay cut to help the club register new signings.

Barcelona will be happy with their transfer window despite financial trouble

There is little doubt that Barcelona have had a hugely successful transfer window despite their failure to register signings. The club have made reinforcements across key areas and are reportedly still not done. They are edging closer to completing a deal for Marcos Alonso, who could be the ideal left-back for Xavi Hernandez.

Alonso is not the paciest, but his crossing and passing abilities are second to none. Jules Kounde can be expected to slot into the starting lineup straightaway and the signing of Andreas Christensen ensures a healthy competition are center-back.

Of course, the Danish international is capable of playing as an RCB in a three-man defense as well, which is another possibility for Barcelona in the upcoming season.

Finally, the signing of Robert Lewandowski represents a huge coup for the Spanish club, despite the striker being in his 30s. The Polish forward has been the most prolific goalscorers in club football in recent seasons and still has a few good years left inhim. The new signings also represent good value. with midfielder Franck Kessie being the other player brought in on a free transfer.

The addition of Raphinha can also be expected to add quality and competition to the squad. There is little doubt that Barcelona have a much stronger squad than last season and the only worry is with respect to their registration.