Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham could all take advantage of Barcelona's struggles after the Catalonian outfit crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday night. The Blaugrana needed a result in other games to ensure they had a fighting chance in the competition, but that failed to happen.
It means they will now be playing in the Europa League instead, facing off against one of the sides that will finish second in the group stages. While that will already seem frustrating to a club of their size, the real problem comes off of the pitch in the form of their finances.
Barcelona's financial struggles have been well documented over the past few years, owing transfer fees to other clubs along with keeping hold of underperforming players on large wages. President Joan Laporta looked to ease these concerns over the summer, selling off club assets in the long-term for a short-term cash flow increase.
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This allowed former midfielder-turned-manager Xavi to invest heavily in his squad, making a number of high-profile signings over the summer, including the likes of Jules Kounde, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski. While it eased immediate worries, their exit from the Champions League at such an early stage will see them lose out on plenty of extra revenue.
In response to that, the club is set to make further budget cuts with Catalan outlet Sport claiming that as many as seven players are ready to be moved on. Among those is midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who was heavily linked with an exit in the summer, but ended up staying at the Nou Camp despite strong interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.
While he was unwilling to move at the time, it could open up an opportunity to make the switch away for the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham. All three have been linked with making midfield reinforcements in the winter market, which could allow for a move for the Dutch international.
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