Barcelona earn €30 million from the sale of reserve team players this summer

Barcelona’s renowned youth academy, known for nurturing some of the best young talents in football, faces a challenging reality. 

Despite its success in developing future stars, breaking into the first team remains a tough task for reserve players due to intense competition. This situation often leads these promising youngsters to seek opportunities elsewhere for regular first-team football.

This summer has been no exception. While Barcelona’s financial condition has influenced their approach, the club from Catalonia has raised a significant amount through the sale of players who featured for Barça Athletic last season. 

So far, Barcelona have accumulated around €18 million, and stand a chance to earn up to €30 million, this summer from these transfers.

A breakdown of Barcelona’s transfer business 

Mikayil Faye is set to leave Barcelona for Rennes. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Notably, Chelsea contributed €6 million for striker Marc Guiu and Estanis Pedrola was permanently acquired by Sampdoria for €3 million after they triggered the purchase option following his appearance in 10 matches. 

Meanwhile, Chadi Riad’s transfer to Real Betis and subsequently to Crystal Palace has been profitable for Barcelona. Betis initially paid €3 million for 50% of Riad’s transfer last summer. 

More recently, Crystal Palace paid €15 million for the Moroccan defender, with Barcelona receiving €6 million from this deal, totalling €9 million from this transfer.

The €18 million already earned could be further increased with the potential €12 million plus €4 million in variables that Rennes could pay for Mika Faye. 

Although the transfer has not been officially confirmed yet, an agreement between Barcelona and Rennes is in place, and the deal is expected to be finalised soon.

With just a week remaining in the transfer window, Barça Athletic’s sales have proven crucial for Barcelona’s financial strategy this summer. The club has successfully generated more revenue from these reserve team players than from those in the first team.