La Liga Champions and Catalan giants Barcelona failed to pay their players for the month of June, new club president Sandro Rosell admitted.
Rosell (pictured), succeeded Joan Laporta last week, and has revealed that the club were forced to take out an emergency loan of £125m, while Dmytro Chygrynskiy was also sold to Shaktar Donetsk against manager Pep Guardiola’s will.
“We found a club in debt, with liquidity problems. At this point we have to take a loan to pay the wages of the players,” he told Sport.
“The banks know that we have a business plan that will allow them to recover the money. The club is not bankrupt because it generates income. The members shouldn’t be afraid because it is under control. We must resolve this tension. It can be done in two ways: to have extra income, like selling Chygrynskiy, and/or taking a loan, which is what we have done.
“The previous board had already begun this process. We followed the same path – the same banks, the same target but with a different business plan. Laporta’s board also knew they needed this credit.”
He insists, however, that Barca, who have also sold Yaya Toure to Manchester City for £20m, will still be able to buy Cesc Fabregas.
“I’ll try to see Wenger in South Africa, then we’ll tell you what happens,†he said. “We would not pay the €50-60m that I have read about. If Arsenal do not go crazy, he might play at Barca. There will be €50m to sign more players. This is the case every year. This is our plan for the future.”
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