Barcelona’s squad-cost limit has risen from €432.8 million to €582.8 million after La Liga’s latest financial review, an increase of almost €150 million that gives the club considerably more room to register players and manage sporting expenditure. Real Madrid still have the division’s largest limit, at €832.8 million, but Barcelona’s rise represents clear progress in their effort to restore financial flexibility.
La Liga’s squad-cost limit covers much more than player wages. It includes spending on the first-team coaching staff, transfer-fee amortisation, image rights, bonuses, agent fees, social-security costs, reserve teams, academy structures and other sporting departments. The increase does not eliminate Barcelona’s financial constraints, but it indicates that the club has improved its ability to support its current commitments through revenue and cost controls.
Sporting director Deco has also made his position clear on the 2026 Ballon d’Or. He believes Lamine Yamal is the leading candidate after a season in which the teenager was decisive in Barcelona’s La Liga title win and Spain’s World Cup success. “Lamine is the clear candidate,” Deco said. “I don’t see any doubt.”
Deco strongly criticised the exclusion of Pedri and Raphinha from the 30-man shortlist, describing it as a “global scandal.” Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí and Rodri are Barcelona’s three nominees, while Pedri and Raphinha were overlooked despite prominent roles for club and country.
Barcelona’s 5-1 Champions League victory over Feyenoord reinforced Deco’s argument over Raphinha’s form. The Brazilian scored twice, while Karim Adeyemi, Yamal and Gabriel Jesus also found the net as Hansi Flick’s side made an emphatic start to the league phase.
The club have already addressed the need for a central striker by signing Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal after Atlético Madrid refused to negotiate over Julián Álvarez. Jesus arrived for an initial €10 million plus €4.5 million in potential add-ons and is expected to help cover the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. Barcelona’s summer recruitment also included Anthony Gordon, Rodri, Adeyemi, Jesse Bisiwu, Dominik Livaković, Hamza Abdelkarim and João Cancelo.
Barcelona may continue to assess centre-forward options, but the claim that Ferran Torres remains part of Flick’s squad is incorrect: he joined Paris Saint-Germain for €50 million during the summer window. The priority now is integrating a rebuilt attacking group around Yamal, Raphinha, Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus while maintaining the improved financial discipline that enabled the club’s higher La Liga spending limit.
