La Masia, the gold mine: 120 million euros close to entering Barcelona's coffers
A potential record under Laporta's presidency
Barcelona are closing in on the end of their summer transfer window with exceptional financial figures. The club haven't wrapped up all their business just yet, but they're now on the brink of generating revenues touching 120 million euros.
According to Sport newspaper, that potential figure has nothing to do with the net difference between selling and buying players. It represents the money Barcelona have raised from player departures alone, whether through direct sales, stakes the club retained in previous transfers, or solidarity payments (sell-on and training compensation) for the transfer of players who graduated from the "La Masia" academy.
Leading the way is the Ferran Torres deal. He moved to Paris Saint-Germain for roughly 48.5 million euros, a sum that accounts for nearly half of the club's direct revenues this summer.
La Masia: the profit mine
Barcelona's academy played a pivotal role in the financial return. More than half of the revenues are linked to players who graduated from the club, either directly or indirectly.
The departure of Ansu Fati brought Barcelona around 11 million euros, with a similar amount coming from the deal involving Tommy Marqués. Iñaki Peña's transfer added another three million euros.
Smaller sums also came in. Dani Rodríguez's exit generated around 600,000 euros, while Andrés Cuenca fetched nearly 700,000 euros.
Several deals are still being finalised. Héctor Fort is moving to Real Sociedad for around 8.5 million euros, Álvaro Cortés brings in more than three million euros, and Toni Fernández joins Venezia in a switch worth around four million euros.
Complete the sale of Casadó at the value Barcelona have set, nearly 20 million euros, and the total income from direct sales alone will surpass the 110 million euro barrier.
A potential record in Laporta's era
This figure would make the current summer window the most profitable in terms of sales since Joan Laporta returned to the Barcelona presidency in 2021, provided the pending deals are completed at their expected values.
The club banked 81.5 million euros from player sales in 2023, but that calculation counted only the money that actually reached Barcelona. Take Ousmane Dembélé: Paris Saint-Germain paid 50.4 million euros to sign him, yet Barcelona pocketed just 35.4 million, with 15 million going to the player and his representatives.
That summer's total also drew on the transfers of Antoine Griezmann, Francisco Trincão, Franck Kessié, Nico González and Abde Ezzalzouli. Jofre Torrents' move to Ajax does not enter the current calculation, even though the deal could earn Barcelona between five and six million euros, because much of it hinges on incentives and variables that have yet to be met.
Other bonuses scattered across various deals fall under the same rule. They should not be counted financially before they are actually due.
Deferred gains: sponsorship rights
Barcelona didn't just cash in on their current squad. The club banked around 4.8 million euros from Jan Vergilie's move from Real Mallorca to Club Brugge, having held onto a slice of his future sale.
Solidarity mechanisms and youth development rights chipped in another four million euros or so, triggered by transfers involving former academy players. Nico Gonzalez, Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo and Sergi Altimira were among them. That figure could nudge higher if Marc Guiu or Mateu Morey complete moves of their own.
All told, Barcelona's revenues are edging towards 120 million euros. Roughly 110 million came from their own direct sales this summer, with a further nine million or so drawn from sale percentages and solidarity payments tied to transfers between other clubs.
Providing the large salaries
Barcelona also made important gains outside the sales column by reducing their wage bill. The end of Robert Lewandowski's contract, along with the loans of Marc-André ter Stegen and Ronald Araújo, put no money directly into the coffers. What they did do was free up considerable financial room to help the club register new players.
The board are also betting on a formula that guarantees future benefits, building percentages of a future sale, buy-back options or performance bonuses into a number of deals.
Jan Vertessen's transfer offers the clearest example. When Club Brugge decided to pay the player's release clause, Barcelona cashed in on a clause they had retained from a previous deal.
