Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp has claimed he does not understand how Barcelona can continue to sign players despite their well-documented financial struggles.
The Catalan giants have spent lavishly this summer, despite currently being in debt of over £1billion.
So far this summer, they have Raphinha (£56m from Leeds United), Jules Kounde (£46million from Sevilla), and Robert Lewandowski (£42.5m from Bayern Munich), while Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen were signed on free transfers.
Because of La Liga’s strict financial rules., the Camp Nou club had been unable to register most of their new faces until last Friday – when an £85m sale of 24.5 per cent of their in-house TV channel gave them enough money to bridge the gap.
So far, only Kounde is left to be registered by Barcelona, who are also reportedly chasing deals for Marcos Alonso and possibly Bernardo Silva.
Speaking to the press, the Liverpool manager whose side have struggled to win games this season, appeared to take a dig at Barca, claiming that he does not understand how the Spanish side are able to carry out their transfer.
Speaking to Kicker via Bild the German said;
“One reason (he does not understand Barca’s finances) is that I’m not a financial expert.
“The second: If you tell me I don’t have any money, then I don’t spend anything anymore. My credit card has also been cut up twice. Luckily that was a few years ago.”
However, the Liverpool manager stated that he hopes the ongoing concern over the club’s future can be resolved.
“I’m watching this like a football fan. I don’t understand,” he added.
“I’ve found the club to be outstanding over the last few decades that I’ve been watching football, and I hope they pull it off.”
“The only club I know that once sold the stadium and other rights in advance was Borussia Dortmund.
‘Aki Watzke had to come at the last second and save the whole thing. And I don’t know if there is an Aki Watzke in Barcelona.”
In 2005, Klopp’s former club Borussia Dortmund were on the brink of bankruptcy when longtime fan Hans-Joachim ‘Aki’ Watzke was appointed CEO of the club. Through a series of restructures, including selling off the naming rights to the stadium and prioritising paying off the club’s massive debts, the 63-year-old rescued BVB from insolvency.
