Three years after the departure of the infamous Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barcelona are still struggling with their salary cap, and that may be partly due to their struggle to bring in revenue for their big-money signings. Spanish football was also strong in that area in the past, but that now seems to be declining.
Following a study by football observatory CIES into the profits and losses from transfers (excluding academy players) from 2015 to the present, Villarreal are the only La Liga team to have managed to reach the top twenty. As Relevo noted, they are in 17th place and have sold 132 million euros more than they spent. Previously, the likes of Sevilla and Valencia would have been known for their profitable recruitments, but that is no longer the case. Real Sociedad (€92 million) and Real Betis (€103 million) are also doing well in that area.
At the other end of the scale, Barcelona ranks fourth in the top leagues, with a negative balance of €368 million, behind the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Chelsea. Other offenders in that regard include Real Madrid, who have a negative balance of €131 million. Atletico Madrid is much lower in the rankings, but has a negative balance of €54 million.
Barcelona and Real Madrid come with an important caveat as both rely on their academies to produce players on a regular basis, and Los Blancos in particular, to make a profit for them in the transfer market. It shows that the Yellow Submarine have not lost their touch, and it is no surprise that while Sevilla are struggling in mid-table after a spell of success, Villarreal are fighting for a place in the top four due to their success in the market.
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