The 2021/22 season is just mere weeks away and the Catalans are still going through the motions grappling with the crippling financial situation that is impeding all progress with their new signings.
The main avenue they used to alleviate the problem involved drastically cutting the wages. So far almost everyone has complied with the necessary wage-reduction measures implemented by Joan Laporta and his board, showing willingness to reduce their salaries for the good of the club. Unfortunately a few other players have chosen to remain obdurate in their refusal to take the wage cuts.
Catalan journalist Gerard Romero has listed three players who have shown disdain towards cutting their wages – Jordi Alba, Samuel Umtiti and Miralem Pjanic.
Barca’s Garnet and Blue outfit have already resorted to multiple avenues of income – each with varying levels of success – and finally resorting to the last stop-gap measure of unloading even their top XI players, but fate’s unsympathetic hand dealt them the massive blow of having hardly any suitors interested in buying what they have to offer. And even when they did sell, they had to do so at low prices.
The club might take matters into their own hands in regards to this issue now that the three players are resolutely reluctant to budge from their refusal to agree to the wage cuts. Barcelona might offload them, as they already promised to do exactly this with Jordi Alba should he refuse.
With Miralem Pjanic and Samuel Umtiti, the circumstances are a bit more difficult as the Bosnian and his French counterpart are largely unwanted by a majority of European giants. However there there seems to be some glimmer of hope nonetheless as Pjanic is rumored to be on his way back to Turin with manager Massimiliano Allegri back at the helm of the club.
With regards to Umtiti, he is neither interested in a deduction of his salary nor a move outside the club. There was interest from French club Olympique Marseille, however, that too seems to have died down with time.