Barcelona Suffer Huge Salary Cap Drop As La Liga Confirm Squad Cost Limits

Real Madrid’s limit is more than twice as high as Barcelona.

Dani Olmo’s registration was a huge problem last season. / Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images

Barcelona have seen their salary cap slashed by close to 25% after another summer of uncertainty behind the scenes.

Registering new signings once again proved to be a nervy subject for Barcelona this summer, with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Joan García forced into nervous waits as the reigning La Liga champions struggled to find space within their limit.

The continued spell away from Camp Nou, which is still not ready to host matches despite public confidence earlier this summer, has taken a huge toll on Barcelona’s finances, while the failure to meet the required criteria over the €100 million ($117.9 million) sale of VIP seats has seen Barcelona’s salary cap drop by €112.3 million compared to January 2025.

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As a result, Hansi Flick’s side are now forced to operate under a total squad cost of €351.3 million which, while still high enough for second in La Liga, is less than half of the total limit handed to Real Madrid.

Los Blancos have actually seen their salary cap increase up to €761.2 million as a result of high revenue and a comparatively low net spend.

Hansi Flick is working with significant financial limitations. / Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images

“Barça has been able to show that it can bring in players,” La Liga president Javier Tebas explained. “It has made a transfer market in line with what it has.

“It comes from winning a league title and bringing in great players who have developed from within, in the youth academy. It’s not mandatory to bring in players. For now, we’ve seen Barça’s start to the season and it’s going well.”

Offering a deeper explanation of Barcelona’s drop, La Liga director Javier Gómez added: “The €112 million [reduction] from Barça coincides with the €100 million from the VIP boxes. There was an auditor who said yes, then another who said no, who took the €100 million from them. That’s the cause and effect. 

“I’m convinced they’re going to recover it. They’re a world-class club. They’re going to overcome it 100% for sure, it’s just that they have to work hard.

“Barça is operating without its stadium, where it loses a lot of income. It has to combine a difficult situation it was coming from and playing with its ground closed. We’re talking about €70 million, €80 million a year that it’s not bringing in. The unknown is whether it will happen in three or 12 months.”

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La Liga Squad Cost Limits for 2025–26 Season

Club	Squad Cost Limit
Real Madrid	€761.2 million
Barcelona	€351.3 million
Atlético Madrid	€327 million
Villarreal	€173.1 million
Real Sociedad	€128.3 million
Athletic Club	€126.1 million
Real Betis	€125.9 million
Valencia	€91.2 million
Celta Vigo	€91.1 million
Girona	€75.4 million
Mallorca	€60.9 million
Espanyol	€56.6 million
Osasuna	€54.3 million
Getafe	€50.7 million
Rayo Vallecano	€47 million
Real Oviedo	€45.1 million
Alavés	€41 million
Elche	€40.5 million
Levante	€35.5 million
Sevilla	€22.1 million

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