COVID-19: Barca Stars 'Ready To Take Pay Cut' After Prez Speaks With Lionel Messi and Co

Barcelona's players are willing to take a pay cut if asked to, as the club suffers the financial effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

According to AS, they 'won't offer up major opposition' after talks between senior members of the team and Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu. 

Directors announced in September that they would be the first club to break the €1billion (£924million) barrier for revenue, but that depended on selling players to bring in £92million. 

In the wake of La Liga cancellations, Barcelona's revenue stream has been severely impacted. 

The club relies on ticket sales, museum visitors and shirt sales but all have been decimated and there is an anticipation that some sponsors might also withhold payments as they face their own financial problems. 

The club say the postponement of the Champions League game against Napoli alone cost them £5.5m. They have already shut their stadium complex. 

Last season the museum generated around £55m and the club shop £79m. 

Barcelona directors held a video-link meeting on Friday where the possibility of cutting players' salaries was discussed. But putting such drastic measures in practice will be complicated. 

Renegotiating deals with individual players and cutting salaries but increasing length of contracts could work in some cases. 

But there is also a hope that the players will take the initiative themselves in this time of crisis. Talks are still in the early stages, however in most cases, deals will not be done until decisions over how the current season will end are made. 

In a statement sent out on Friday, the club said: 'It's clear that this crisis will have a negative impact on the football industry and on the sports industry as a whole. The club is obliged to be ready to face all possible scenarios.' 

Spanish employment law allows companies to lay-off staff for a period of time in exceptional circumstances, obliging them to re-hire those laid off when said circumstances are no longer in existence. 

The so-called 'ERTE' is likely to be applied by clubs to non-playing staff across Spain in the next few days.