Barcelona finance director Xavier Sala i Martin is bewildered as to how Real Madrid are funding their summer spending spree. With a reported transfer budget of 300million euros at their disposal, Madrid president Florentino Perez has this week set about creating a second ‘galacticos’ era.
The Spanish giants had a world-record bid of £80million for Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo accepted by Manchester United on Thursday, hot on the heels of Monday’s 68million euros acquisition of Brazil playmaker Kaka from AC Milan.
And Sala i Martin, whose team finished nine points clear of Madrid at the Primera Division summit last month, is puzzled by how the purchases are being financed. He told Radio Station RAC1:
“I don’t know where the 300million euros that Florentino Perez expects to invest on signings are coming from. He says he will recover that money by selling shirts but, in order to do that, he will have to sell 30million shirts. That is impossible.”
Sala i Martin is stunned Madrid are able to spend so much money in such a difficult economic climate. He added:
“I guess someone will have to give him that money and it would be good for him to explain where it will come from. How can it be that a football team is loaned so much money, considering the current financial crisis in the country and the policy of restricting credits that banks are currently following? I can assure you that we will not pay 65million euros for a player. For that amount we would buy the whole Barcelona team that won the Champions League in Rome.”
