Could bankrupt Barcelona become a reality?

What a mess Barcelona have got themselves into.

Or more accurately, what Josep Maria Bartomeu and his board have got them into. The scale of his mismanagement is only just becoming clear, and things will surely get worse before they get better.

One of the main themes of discussion that has come out over the last few days is the fact that the club could soon be bankrupt.Some might say that such statements are scaremongering but there is genuine concern that by the start of next year the club could be dangling over the precipice.

There is, apparently, a deadline of this Thursday for the players to agree a salary reduction which would save the club in the region of €190m.

Some are clearly reticent to do so given that the financial issues are not of their doing, and they’ve already deferred some of their wages to help the club through the pandemic.

Could the club going bankrupt become a reality? The short answer is yes, if all of the building blocks don’t fall into place.

Whomever comes in as the next president at the club really does have his work cut out, in order to level up the mistakes of the last regime.

It may even require one or more sales of senior players to balance the books.

Clearly, that scenario isn’t one that anyone would wish to contemplate but it is absolutely a consideration.

In any event, the form on the pitch needs to be addressed too, given that Barca find themselves down in 12th place in La Liga and having dropped points in the last four matches.

What’s happening at the club on and off the pitch isn’t an overnight fix then, and will take time to address.

Barcelona’s fan base are known to be demanding at the best of times, but if they want their beloved club to be able to ride out this storm, then they have to be pulling in the same direction.

If the players, even through gritted teeth, can come to some sort of interim arrangement with the club, that at least staves off the thought of bankruptcy for now.

Those presidents-in-waiting will be ready with their business plans and the club’s members must choose wisely to ensure such a scenario doesn’t occur again.

If those two things do happen, then there’s reason to believe that Barca will get over the worst of it and be ready to move forward in due course.