Barcelona have taken another step towards better financial health after La Liga confirmed an increase to the club’s salary cap for the second half of the season.

Barcelona’s squad looks like one that has taken a financial battering in recent times, with only a handful of marquee players and the majority either bought on the cheap or home-grown.

Last January, the club’s wage limit was reduced to €204m, down from €270m at the start of last season, at a time when Real Madrid were able to spend €755m.

With president Joan Laporta desperately finding new and inventive ways to raise cash, it was raised substantially to €426m ahead of this season. However, the club was still required to find a loophole in order to register summer signing Dani Olmo and almost fumbled when it came to the Spain international after missing the deadline to secure him for the second half of the campaign.

The salary cap has grown following the end of the January transfer window to €463m, inflating by just under €40m, although it still pales into insignificance compared to Madrid’s €754m.

With a Nike partnership renewal and the sale of VIP boxes in the newly refurbished but as yet incomplete Camp Nou, Barcelona are back onto La Liga’s 1:1 spending rules and are expected to be more competitive in the transfer market ahead of next season.

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