"We are fighting with La Liga in court" - Joan Laporta makes incredible claim on Barcelona's transfer plans after Super Cup win against Real Madrid
FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed that the club is fighting La Liga in court for new transfers following their Super Cup win over Real Madrid. The Catalan giants bagged a comfortable 3-1 win against their El Clasico rivals at the King Fahd International Stadium on January 15 to secure their first trophy under Xavi Hernandez.
It is no secret that Barcelona are in the midst of financial difficulties. According to 90min, the La Liga giants need to raise at least €26 million before they can think of signing new players. A couple of months back, Laporta himself said that the club would be in no position to sign new players in January.
However, he has now claimed that the club will fight the authorities in regards to the financial fair play regulations in Spain.
Laporta was quoted as saying the following (via Barca Universal):
“We are fighting with La Liga in court. We aim to have more fair play space to sign players, and we will fight for our best interests.”
Despite their financial troubles over the past few years, Barcelona were not shy to sign new players in the summer transfer window prior to the start of the 2022-23 season. The Blaugrana signed the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha amongst others to strengthen their squad.
Robert Lewandowski has had the biggest impact on the squad since his move from Bayern Munich. The Polish forward has already scored 20 goals across all competitions. He also had a great outing against Real Madrid on Sunday as he scored and assisted once to secure a 3-1 win for his new side.
Barcelona are currently three points clear of Real Madrid in La Liga
Barcelona are currently at the top of the La Liga charts having picked up 41 points from their opening 16 matches of the 2022-23 season. Xavi's side are currently three points clear of rivals Real Madrid.
The Catalan outfit have lost just once in the league so far this season. It was a 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu back in October. Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo scored for Real Madrid while Ferran Torres was the sole goalscorer for Barcelona.
The two sides are now scheduled to meet on March 19 for the third El Clasico of the season. The game could have massive implications in the title race between the two rivals.