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Barcelona are looking to reduce their wage bill for next season amid their financial crisis, but three of their senior players are refusing to take a pay cut, as per Barca Blaugranes.
The Blaugrana are looking to address their economic woes by asking their players to cut their salaries by 50%, especially the senior stars. Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba are on higher wages than the rest of the squad, with Pique being the highest earning Barcelona player.
However, all three had taken a pay cut during the COVID-19 pandemic before another wage reduction last summer to help the team register new players for the 2021-22 season. Now, though, none of the three long-serving stars are ready to accept another pay cut.
According to Spanish news outlet Diario SPORT, the club are yet to reach out to the players, but the stars are unlikely to succumb to the pressure.
With the Barcelona veterans making a lot of sacrifices to help the club to ease their troubled finances, the La Liga giants will have to find other avenues to cut their costs.
A ray of hope is that Sergi Roberto, another long-serving player at the club, has agreed to reduce his salary while signing a new contract that's due next week. A massive clear-out is also expected, with the club apparently asking some of their fringe players to leave this summer. That could go a long way in freeing up the squad and reducing their wage bill.
Barcelona looking to rebuild
The last few years have seen Barcelona implode in spectacular fashion, both on and off the field.
A raft of expensive flops coupled with an ageing squad contributed to their on-field decline while also making them financially bankrupt. Lionel Messi had to leave last summer after La Liga's regulations prevented him from signing a new contract.
The club expectedly struggled without his heroics, finishing the 2021-22 campaign trophyless and enduring their earliest exit from the UEFA Champions League in 20 years.
New manager Xavi's arrival helped anchor the sinking ship to some extent, with the former Blaugrana midfielder taking the club from seventh in La Liga to a runners-up finish.
However, the Blaugrana remain mired in a massive financial crisis and won't be able to sign new players before they reduce their wage bill, hindering their rebuilding.
