FC Barcelona appear to be going on an upward trajectory with positive results on the pitch following the arrival of manager Xavi Hernandez. The new coach has also signed a number of useful additions over the winter transfer window, but it has now been revealed that in order for things to progress further in the right direction, the club's captains will be asked to agree to further salary cuts.

After last year's departure of Lionel Messi largely due to the fact that the club could no longer afford to extend his contract, it was widely reported that the club had asked important players to accept salary cuts. In particular, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets were placed in the spotlight.

It is believed that they had all done their part to help the club by agreeing to waive certain bonuses owed to them. The players have also reportedly agreed to having a number of payments delayed for later in their contract when the club should have more financial capability.

However, according to Marca, the club is now looking at asking these players to accept straight out cuts on their base salaries. As it turns out, the Blaugrana may have been making a lot of noise in the transfer market, expressing interest towards signing the likes of Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski. However, the fact is that they won't be able to afford these additions if the aforementioned players do not agree to the pay cuts.

Samuel Umtiti could be seen as a model for what can be done to help the club. Earlier this year, he agreed to extend his contract in order to spread the remainder of what is owed to him for the remaining 18 months of his previous deal to three years.

Busquets can follow that example, with his contract set to expire in 2023. He can extend another year or two in order to spread out the payments owed to him by the club. Unfortunately for Joan Laporta, it won't be as easy with Pique and Alba, who are both contracted until 2024. Furthermore, Pique is already 35, meaning extending beyond 2024 is not looking like a good idea.

It remains to be seen how Mateu Alemany and Laporta can effectively navigate the club's financial situation.

Aubameyang
FC Barcelona AFP / JAVIER SORIANO
Barcelona FC