Barcelona set to earn dividends from former player's transfer

Former FC Barcelona player Rafinha may be able to help his former employers generate some much-needed funds this summer. The attacking midfielder moved to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer last summer, but a potential move this year might result in unexpected revenue for the cash-strapped Catalan giants.

Even though Rafinha left Spain on a free transfer, the deal with PSG included a 35 percent "sell-on" fee according to Marca. This means that Barcelona will be entitled to a sizable cut if PSG decides to sell the player for a fee this summer. Incidentally, the Brazilian has attracted the interest of several European clubs.

He made 34 appearances with PSG last season, but manager Mauricio Pochettino only opted to have him start eight times. As such, he won't be entirely opposed to sanctioning the player's exit. Serie A sides Lazio and AC Milan have expressed their interest, as have Premier League side Aston Villa.

Rafinha is expected to fetch a fee worth somewhere in the vicinity of 10 million euros, meaning Barcelona is set to earn about 3.5 million euros. It's not a big amount, and it will barely scratch the surface of what the club needs in order to get out of their financial troubles. However, it will still be a small step towards meeting La Liga Santander's salary cap.

As it stands, the club will not be able to register their new signings, and they won't be able to ratify Lionel Messi's new deal. La Liga's deadline comes at the end of August, and the club need to find solutions as soon as possible.

Apart from selling some of their top earners to get their salaries off the wage bill, club officials are also talking to remaining stars in the hopes of getting them to agree to salary reductions. It will be a massive sacrifice for the players, who may have to give up about half of what they originally stand to earn.