Barcelona have paid out €43m in variables for major signing

Barcelona‘s business under Josep Maria Bartomeu came under heavy scrutiny over the latter stages of his tenure, and certainly since arriving, current President Joan Laporta has pointed the finger at him in terms of their financial situation. While naturally fees tend to rise with time, Bartomeu was behind four of Barcelona’s five most expensive signings, and none have been unanimous successes.

Frenkie de Jong, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann cost a combined €445m before bonuses between them, and only de Jong is at the club, by virtue of his determination to remain. Perhaps none divided opinion as much as the mercurial Dembele, but according to a report in BILD, he is now Barcelona’s most expensive signing ever.

That title belonged to Coutinho, who cost €145m, but the German outlet, as referenced by Fabrizio Romano, say that Barcelona have paid out all of the variables for the Dembele deal to Borussia Dortmund. That would take the total fee to €148m, taking into account €43m in variables.

Dembele left to return to his native France, after Paris Saint-Germain activated a €50m release clause in his second contract at the club. It’s a ruinous €98m loss for the Blaugrana, not counting his wages, which for the majority of his spell at the club were not compensated by performances. The great frustration will be that just when it looked as if he was finally ready to deliver, he left.