Barcelona eyeing statement signing after securing €500m bank loan - Reports

According to ESPN, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has secured a €500 million grant from an American bank, a part of which he wishes to spend on a marquee signing.

Possible targets for Barcelona are Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, with the club also being in touch with Harry Kane's representatives for a possible move to the Nou Camp.

The financial crisis due to the global pandemic has hit Barcelona pretty hard. The club are in debt of around €1 billion which means Barcelona have been unable to pay wages to their players since January.

Barcelona are set to use €100 million from the grant to pay wages to their players, another €100 million will go towards payment of various transfer clauses while €265 million will be paid to various banks in Spain.

Joan Laporta is planning a big revolution in the squad. When he arrived in 2003, 12 players left that summer. And the next year, 16 more players left the club. He is planning to do something similar this time. The club needs to free up some of the wage bill.— L' Esportiu pic.twitter.com/aWgfW3Lg2z

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) May 18, 2021

Barcelona poised for a huge summer

The summer of 2021 is going to be massive for FC Barcelona both on and off the pitch. President Joan Laporta's primary objective is to get the club's finances back on track. The Mirror reports that Barcelona might have to sell the naming rights for the Nou Camp to a third party. This could be a much needed additional source of income for the club.

Another of Barcelona's priorities this summer is to tie down Lionel Messi for at least another two seasons. The 33-year old's contract is set to expire this summer. With the additional funds from the bank, Laporta is hoping to offer Messi a good enough contract for him to accept.

Lionel Messi's contract is up this summer. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Barcelona may also have to sell some of their stars to free up money to increase the wage budget. Blaugrana are already looking to offload Samuel Umtiti and Philippe Coutinho, players who are on huge wages but have been making minimal impact on the pitch.

With limited finances, Barcelona have been forced to look at players who are available on a free this summer. The Catalans are already looking to bring in Eric Garcia from Manchester City. Apart from the Spaniard, Barcelona are also keen on signing Gini Wijnaldum, Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, all of whom become free agents this summer.

Despite the shortcomings in the club's finances, Barcelona are still optimistic about landing one marquee signing who can lead the club back to La Liga as well as European glory.

🗣 | Joan Laporta: "Next week will start taking decisions. We need to build a competitive team that can win the Champions League and La Liga. When I talk about the end of cycles and revolutions, it’s because I really mean it." pic.twitter.com/CTnY4AOJuN

— La Senyera (@LaSenyera) May 18, 2021