Barcelona still owe £98 million in transfer fees to other clubs

More details have emerged about the extent of FC Barcelona's financial crisis. Apparently, the club still owes approximately million euros (£98 million) to other clubs for the transfers of several players in the past couple of years.

This amount remains despite previous reports stating that the club's total debt to other clubs has already been reduced by 28.4 percent. According to Marca, the information about the debt on transfer fees was leaked ahead of the official reveal on Wednesday, wherein club president Joan Laporta and Barcelona's general director Fran Reverter are scheduled to speak to the press about the results of an extensive financial audit that was ordered when they took over the club back in March.

The breakdown of the debt to other clubs has also been detailed in the report. The Catalan giants allegedly still owe Serie A side Juventus FC 39 million euros stemming from the signing of Bosnia international Miralem Pjanic.

AFC Ajax are also still expecting to be paid 32 million euros for Frenkie de Jong and 16 million euros for Sergino Dest, bringing Barcelona's total debt to the Dutch club up to 48m euros. Meanwhile, Premier League side Liverpool FC are also owed a further 13 million euros for Philippe Coutinho.

Most clubs have outstanding balances with other clubs for player transfers, with payment schemes typically spread over a number of seasons. However, for the Catalan giants, the amounts are staggering considering the fact that they are also struggling to slash their wage bill.

The coronavirus pandemic did not help the club last season, with revenues slashed significantly due to the lockdowns and health restrictions. The club posted a loss of 481 million euros last season, resulting in a massive budget slash from the pre-pandemic amount of 1,047m euros to just 765m euros.