How Barcelona flipped €26.7 million to €380 million

After having gone through a period of mindless spending when big amounts were splashed on signings that did not work out, Barcelona have been forced to look for talents within the academy ranks due to their financial woes.

More and more prospects from La Masia are getting a chance in the first team, while recruitment-wise, a keen eye is now placed on bringing in talent at a young age for a reasonable fee, and developing at the club.

These two strategies combined have delivered the core of the current Barcelona team for the present and the future.

Diamonds in the rough

Ronald Araujo, Pedri, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal, and Pau Cubarsi form the crux of this Barcelona team for the immediate present and the future.

And all these players, combined, cost Barcelona only a meager €26.7 million in transfer fees.

Indeed, Araujo was signed from Boston River in Uruguay for a fee of just €4.7 million in the summer of 2018. Meanwhile, Pedri was roped in from Las Palmas in the summer of 2019 in a deal that rose to €22 million, including all add-ons, a bargain.

As for Gavi, Balde, Lamine, and Cubarsi, all of them are La Masia through and through and did not cost the club a penny in terms of transfer fees.

Credit must be given to Ronald Koeman and now Xavi Hernandez for showing faith and trust in these players to hand them opportunities in the first-team setup irrespective of their ages.

Invaluable gems

And in a matter of years, or even months in the case of Yamal and Cubarsi, Barcelona have developed them to such an extent that their transfer values in the current market are through the roof.

From being diamonds in the rough, the aforementioned players have been polished into invaluable gems.

Indeed, as per market value experts Transfermarkt, Araujo, bought for €4.7 million, now has a value of €70 million, close to 14 times his transfer fee.

Meanwhile, Pedri’s market value since he joined Barcelona has rocketed to €80 million – almost four times his total transfer fee of €22 million.

Gavi receiving the Kopa award from previous winner Pedri. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

As for Gavi, the Spanish ace is heralded as one of the best young midfielders in Europe and boasts a market value of €90 million, despite having missed five months of football this season through injury.

Balde, who enjoyed a brilliant breakthrough campaign in 2022/23, has a current market value of €40 million.

Meanwhile, Yamal, just 16 years old, has one of the highest market values for a teenage footballer, skyrocketing to €75 million thanks to his stellar displays this season.

Cubarsi, on the other hand, has only been in the first-team setup for two months and has seen his market value rise 15-fold to €25 million.

Having spent a combined €26.7 million on the players in total, Barcelona have managed to turn it into €380 million, with each of them now counted among the most coveted footballers in Europe.

In times of financial problems, Barcelona have found solutions in youth recruitment and La Masia, a strategy that has and will continue to serve well for the reigning La Liga champions for years to come.

Player value statistics via Transfermarkt