Barcelona are set to take ‘drastic measures’ in the coming months as they look to reduce costs, and it appears those measures will begin with Jordi Alba.
Diario AS say that the club will meet with Alba in the coming days and ask him to take a salary cut for next season. The veteran defender is set to earn €38m from Barcelona due to the deferred wages agreed under Josep Maria Bartomeu, and with Barcelona lookiing to cut their wage bill by €200m this summer, Alba could become a casualty.
If Alba does not agree to do so, then they will look for an exit in the summer transfer market for the 33-year-old, as hinted by Fabrizio Romano. Alba has always maintained that he wants to see out his contract until 2024, but that he has never been asked to slash his wages, and would speak with club if they wanted to.
Having lost his place to Alejandro Balde this season, it is no surprise that Barcelona are looking in his direction to reduce costs. While he remains a useful asset as a veteran squad player, that contribution in no way equates to his current deal. In addition, Barcelona are trying to negotiate a new deal with Balde, which will no doubt see his wages take a large leap too.
