‘If you tell me I don’t have any money, then I don’t spend ANYTHING more’: Jurgen Klopp ‘doesn’t understand’ how Barcelona have been able to embark on a summer spending spree despite being over £1bn in debt as they struggle to register new signings
- Jurgen Klopp said he cannot understand Barcelona’s extravagant summer spree
- The Liverpool manager joked he is ‘not a financial expert’ before criticising them
- Barcelona have endured a series of well-publicised financial issues this summer
- But they have signed the likes of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski in big deals
- French defender Jules Kounde is their only new arrival not to be registered
Jurgen Klopp has claimed he ‘doesn’t understand’ how Barcelona can continue to fund a lavish summer spending spree on new players when their financial outlook is so bleak.
The Catalan giants are currently £1billion in debt and have endured a series of well-publicised financial difficulties this summer, as club president Joan Laporta attempts to balance the books at the Nou Camp.
But that has not stopped them from spending big in the transfer market and signing a number of high-profile stars to rejuvenate Xavi’s squad.
Jurgen Klopp has claimed he ‘doesn’t understand’ how Barcelona have been able to spend
The Catalan giants are currently £1billion in debt but that has not stopped them from buying
Jules Kounde (£46million), Robert Lewandowski (£42.5m), Raphinha (£56m) have all arrived for big fees, while Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen were signed on free transfers.
LaLiga’s strict financial rules prevented Barcelona from registering most of their new faces until Friday – when an £85m sale of 24.5 per cent of their in-house TV channel was enough to bridge the gap.
Kounde is now the only player left to be registered by Barcelona, who are also chasing deals for Marcos Alonso and possibly Bernardo Silva.
But in a dig at the Spanish side, Klopp – speaking to Kicker via Bild – insisted he doesn’t understand the Blaugrana’s financial situation ‘for various reasons’.
The Liverpool boss said: ‘One reason is that I’m not a financial expert. The second: If you tell me I don’t have any money, then I don’t spend anything anymore. My credit card has also been cut up twice, luckily that was a few years ago.’
Amidst the ongoing concern over the club’s future, the Liverpool manager stated that he hopes the issues can be resolved.
LaLiga’s rules prevented Barcelona from registering most of their new signings until Friday
Xavi’s side started the new LaLiga season with a disappointing 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano
‘I’m watching this like a football fan, I don’t understand,’ he added.
‘I’ve found the club to be outstanding over the last few decades that I’ve been watching football and I hope they pull it off.’
The 55-year-old coach also drew a parallel between the ongoing situation at Barcelona and one at his former club, Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp explained: ‘The only club I know that once sold the stadium and other rights in advance was Borussia Dortmund.
‘Aki Watzke had to come at the last second and save the whole thing. And I don’t know if there is an Aki Watzke in Barcelona.’
In 2005 Dortmund were on the brink of bankruptcy when longtime BVB fan Hans-Joachim ‘Aki’ Watzke was appointed CEO of the club.
Through a series of restructures, including selling off the naming rights to the stadium and prioritising paying off the club’s massive debts, Watzke rescued Dortmund from insolvency.
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