For some years now, Barcelona have been embroiled in financial difficulties.

The financial difficulty led to the club’s inability to keep Lionel Messi, and Barca have had to lower down on wages and also on expensive signings.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has now claimed that the club has managed the situation greatly, and believes the club is in a safer position now.

He said: “In 2003 we were in a moment of maximum difficulty, we had a deficit and a significant debt, now we have also had it, and perhaps, with the passage of time, 20 years, the magnitudes are much greater although conceptually it is the same.

“But to the difficulties we have to add the financial ‘fair play’, as they are rules interpreted and dictated by LaLiga, it generates a certain complexity when managing the club but we have to adapt and we are doing so.”

Talking about the club’s sporting situation, Laporta added: “We are at a key moment, which is the turning point. Because once the club has been saved, we have a team that is competing again, we have set ourselves the priority objective of La Liga, of maximum consistency.

“We continue to compete, we have won the league, we want to continue to be dominant in Spain and take another step towards being more competitive in competitions such as the Champions League, which is always important.”