Fresh audit reveals Barcelona’s debt

FC Barcelona’s money troubles seem to have cascaded even further following a fresh audit into the clubs finances revealing the Catalonians total debt standing at €442m (£369.5m) after a significant loss of €77m (£64.36m) last season.

The new audit which has been undertaken by Deloitte for new club president Sandro Rosell has revealed a significant increase in debt following the decision to take out a £125million loan in order to fund necessities such as player’s wages.

Former president Joan Laporta had insisted before his departure that the Spanish champions were only a mere €11million in the red. However following fresh developments his claims have been eclipsed with the staggering figures concluded by Deloitte.

The Catalans costs last season rose to £400m with an income of £341.7m. A significant gap in terms of breaking even – as they struggled to find the extra £58.3m to cover the costs. Dymtro Chygrynskiy was sold back to Shakhtar Donetsk last month after just one season at the Camp Nou in order to ease some of the financial constraints the club is embroiled in.

Despite the big money signing of David Villa at the end of May they are still pursuing their interest in Cesc Fabregas as they eagerly persist Arsenal to enter negotiations which they are unwilling to do so. If the transfer is to occur then that means more significant funds being poured out of the club and loading more red figures into their books.

Following my article on the world’s top ten most indebted clubs, Barcelona were ranked sixth with a total debt of £273m. However following the publication of The Blaugrana’s new financial woes they have seemingly risen to fourth – placing them ahead of bitter rivals Real Madrid and Premier League outfit Liverpool respectively.

Despite the clubs marketing being a success in terms of attracting a wider global interest in the last five years their failure to accumulate the necessary profits to cover their costs is worrying. Sandro Rosell has certainly got a tough task on his hands to prevent more debt problems as well as continuing the clubs success with new signings and wage demands.

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