'Surreal' Barcelona crisis: New signing pays own release clause to leave immediately

Updated: 10 Jul 2026 21:12 BST | 5 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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Barcelona are splashing the cash on Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, but all is evidently not well at the Catalan club.

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The Blaugrana have been one of the protagonists of this summer. Before the transfer window even opened, Barcelona agreed a whopping €80 million deal to sign Gordon from Newcastle.

It was a transfer that raised eyebrows given the club's well-documented financial struggles in recent years. Barcelona have returned to the vaunted 1:1 rule - allowing them to reinvest every penny they earn without restrictions - but the size of the deal was remarkable.

Current ETV

Anthony Gordon

F (CL)

Barcelona

Anthony Gordon

F (CL)

Barcelona

ETV Range

€50.8M - €62.1M

For context, Barcelona had spent weeks haggling with Man Utd over a €30m fee for Marcus Rashford, so people were understandably taken aback when they suddenly splashed €80m on Gordon. Reports have claimed that the agent commission for the transfer set them back an additional €24m.

The club then proceeded to make an eye-watering - albeit unsuccessful - €100m bid for Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, and they have now agreed a €29m deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Adeyemi.

Are Barcelona making secret budget cuts?

So, where are Barcelona getting all this money from? Commercial heft and on-pitch success can only generate so much revenue, though the club's income is being substantially boosted by the renovated Camp Nou.

Barcelona are also banking on sales. Ferran Torres and Marc Casado are for sale, while Roony Bardghji could also yield an easy profit given that he joined for just €2.5m last year.

However, that is clearly not enough. On Friday, it was revealed that Barcelona had taken out a €210m loan to serve as an advance on the club’s television rights revenue. The cash injection will be used "primarily to finance signings and payroll."

The club had to resort to this due to delays in the construction of the VIP boxes at the Camp Nou. Barcelona will receive €105m right now and the same sum in November. Interest will be paid on this loan, but the club are confident that future revenues will easily pay off the debt.

Barcelona's financial situation has been "downgraded" from "positive to stable." It would be wrong to infer any potential behind-the-scenes crisis from this, but something does appear to be afoot when looking at the club's other departments.

Barcelona's women's football team is currently experiencing a veritable exodus of high-profile players. Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, Ona Batlle, Mapi Leon and Salma Paralluelo have all departed Barca Femeni after their contracts expired.

A similarly concerning development is noticeable at Barcelona Basquet. The club's men's basketball side are currently struggling to fill up their roster with new signings.

© IMAGO - Alexia Putellas' trophy-laden Barcelona spell has ended

On Friday, Mundo Deportivo confirmed the "surreal" reports that American centre Moses Wright had triggered his own €900,000 release clause to leave the club before he had even been officially unveiled as a new signing.

Wright was due to join from Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas, but because of the chaos at Barca Basquet, he has decided to take his talents elsewhere. Reports suggest that he could be on his way to Olimpia Milano.

Why is this relevant to the men's football team? Because all of Barcelona's sports sections are under the same umbrella. LaLiga's spending rules take into account all of the club's revenues, expenses and debts, including from the other departments.

Barcelona obviously do not have unlimited funds, so by spending big on the men's football side, they may invariably have to make budget cuts on their other teams, such as Barca Femeni or Barca Basquet.

Last summer, for example, there were concerns that Barcelona would not be able to register some of their key Femeni players because of the men's side's struggles to fit everyone within LaLiga's salary cap.

Could it be a similar story this summer? Only time will tell. Despite the club's return to the 1:1 rule, there are clearly still problems that need to be sorted out.

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