Report: Barcelona have no money for transfers due to pandemic

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Barcelona's transfer budget has been wiped out due to the losses incurred as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, sources told Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden of ESPN.

As such, the Catalan club will only be able to sign players using proceeds from its own sales this summer or by finding suitable trading partners willing to make swap deals.

President Josep Maria Bartomeu has allocated between €60 million and €75 million for new signings each summer since 2015, according to Llorens and Marsden. But that figure has been totally decimated this year; Barcelona vice president Jordi Cardoner said last month that the club had already lost €140 million due to the crisis.

Barca had lofty transfer plans prior to the work stoppage. In addition to the club's well-documented pursuit of Lautaro Martinez and Neymar, the Blaugrana were also in the market for a midfielder, a right-back, and a center-back who could eventually take the place of veteran Gerard Pique, Llorens and Marsden note.

Those objectives will be significantly scaled back now. Signing both Martinez and Neymar in the same summer has become all but impossible, with the Inter Milan striker emerging as the clear No. 1 target. However, the club has no intention of paying the Argentine striker's €111-million release clause, which kicks in at the start of July. For its part, the Italian side maintains the price for its prized asset will not be lowered.

Barcelona, who are apparently open to selling anybody but Lionel Messi, Frenkie de Jong, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, reportedly need to generate roughly €70 million before the end of the month to balance their books.