While club football may have come to a half in lieu of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the work does not stop at FC Barcelona, as the club is planning out strategies for the January transfer window.
Barça president Joan Laporta has stated that the club will look to strengthen the squad in the winter. However, the supremo has also confirmed that they will be unable to sign players as things stand due to Financial Fair Play problems and are working to find a solution.
“According to La Liga’s FFP, we cannot sign players in January. We are trying our best to persuade the league to be more flexible,” Laporta said in a recent interview.
Player sales will once again be key for Barcelona to be able to achieve Fair Play and bring in players. To that end, the possible departure of Memphis Depay is being considered by the Blaugrana.
At the same time, Mundo Deportivo is reporting that Barcelona director Mateu Alemany is looking at other possible solutions, with one option being the reduction of salaries of some players.
To that end, the Catalan club is said to have made contact and opened talks with two of their players in Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Frenkie de Jong to decrease their wages which would reduce the club’s salary mass and help achieve Fair Play.
Ter Stegen and de Jong are two of the highest earners in the Barcelona squad following their contract renewal in 2020 under the administration of former president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
The Blaugrana had tried to negotiate a salary reduction with de Jong in the summer but it had come to nothing. However, as per the aforementioned update, the midfielder, as well as ter Stegen, are both willing to help the club out and adjust their wages.
Barcelona want to sign a new right-back and possibly a pivot midfielder as well in January. And whether ter Stegen and de Jong reach an agreement with the club over wage cuts could be key to their transfer plans.