The reasons Barcelona said "No" to Juan Cuadrado
Colombia's World Cup star seemed destined for Barcelona
JAVIER GIRALDO
Financial Fair Play rules imposed by UEFA in 2011 and adapted to La Liga in 2013 are the main reason that the club are giving up on signing Fiorentina's
Juan Guillermo Cuadrado.
To sign the player for
€40million plus to pay him
€4.5m in wages would significantly affect Barcelona's accounts.
The club held two consultations with UEFA and the LFP to see if the signing of Cuadrado would work, according to recent seasons and projected income and expenses, but in both cases the answer was negative.
So not only would Cuadrado unbalance the book but he may have seen Barca fined by both the LFP and UEFA.
He was the first choice of the club, having been extensively scouted for up to 10 Fiorentina games.
They wanted to sign him before the World Cup but the Italian side long resisted and his price skyrocketed after the tournament in Brazil, where he impressed.
Subsequently the club have bought two players who cost more than expected, in
Luis Suarez, €81m and Jeremy Mathieu, €20m.
That total of €101m put Barca dangerously close to the salary cap limits set by the LFP.
League boundaries
The rule of the LFP came in from January 2013, requiring all Liga and Segunda clubs to submit by April 30 a realistic budget with an estimate of revenue and expenditure and treasury data.
Based on the LFP rules, a salary cap is imposed and there are penalties for breaching it, including stopping players from being registered in the competition.
"On the third notice, relegation is agreed," said CEO of the LFP at the time, Javier Gomez. The cap can be modified if clubs post new revenues by player sales or new sponsors.
Alves and Song
Barcelona were so confident in shedding Dani Alves and Alex Song, that they moved towards the final stages of the Cuadrado transfer. However, they are not leaving it seems, so Barça have gone for plan B, with the signing of Douglas from Sao Paulo.