Barcelona president hits out at claims they cannot afford Lewandowski transfer

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 31 May 2022 22:34 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has hit out at Javier Tebas after the La Liga chief claimed the Spanish side couldn't afford to sign Robert Lewandowski.

Tebas stated that Barcelona's financial situation means must sell before they buy players in order to adhere to the league's rules.

"Barça already know what they have to do if they want to sign Lewandowski. They know our economic control rules perfectly. It's to avoid major economic problems," Tebas said.

"I don’t know if they will sell (Frenkie) De Jong or Pedri,” Tebas said. “They know what they have to do – sell assets and earn more, this is what they have to do.

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Laporta responded to the quotes by saying: "I would like to remind Tebas that it's his duty to look after ALL the teams in the league. I ask him to refrain from making comments about the possible signings of Barça."

“If Tebas is doing this on purpose, it is not acceptable to us, and if it is unintentional, he is very talkative and likes to stand out.

“From Tebas’ statements, it seems he has a clear desire to hurt Barça’s interests,”

Will Barcelona be able to afford Lewandowski?

Lewandowski announced his desire to leave Bayern Munich and it is believed the 33-year-old has already agreed personal terms to join Barcelona where he would become one of the club's highest earners.

However, despite only having 12 months left on his contract, Bayern are rumoured to be demanding a fee in excess of €35 million, an amount which Tebas believes Barca cannot afford without selling key players.

"Barca has had many accumulated losses in the last tax years," Tebas said. "Some which could have been avoided and they have to stock the pantry.

"Just as Madrid have stocked up, Barcelona have emptied it. Today they cannot sign him (Lewandowski),”

Tebas alluded to the potential sale of Frenkie De Jong, who has been heavily linked to Manchester United, although the player is not thought to be keen on the move.

With no love lost between Tebas and Laporta, it remains to be seen whether any action will be enforced on Barcelona should they persist with their transfer plans.