Barcelona, bad with money? Never
Barcelona face the risk of losing millions should they fail to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages due to a major budgeting error.
The Catalan side were involved in a 3-3 draw against Inter Milan but could be knocked out of the competition next week if the Italian side beat Viktoria Plzeň at the San Siro in game week five.
Ousmane Dembélé gave the hosts the lead before Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez turned the tie around. Robert Lewandowski then equalised.
Robin Goosens' 89th minute strike looked to have sealed a dramatic win in late circumstances but Lewandowski was on hand to rescue a point in the dying seconds of the game.
https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1580449841771339776
Failure to reach the knockout stages could have huge implications for Barça though, with
Mundo Deportivo revealing how much the club is set to lose unless their fortunes change drastically.
It's claimed that Barcelona will lose £18.4m unless they reach the quarter-finals - something that is a real possibility.
The LaLiga side spent over £130m rebuilding their squad in the summer transfer window despite their well-documented financial woes and in order to pay for their big-money buys, had budgeted for the club to reach the last eight of the Champions League.
Progression looks unlikely however with a place in the Europa League looking more likely once again.
Even if Barcelona went on to win the Europa League, the prize money still wouldn't be enough to fill Barça's financial void, with the winners receiving £13m.
Despite their Champions League misfortunes, Xavi's side is still going strong in their league campaign and sit top of the table with seven wins and one draw from eight games.
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