Spanish La Liga leader Barcelona have been placed under a transfer ban this summer due to the club’s inability to rein in costs.
LaLiga chief executive Javier Tebas revealed that Barca’s “questionable behaviour” had put the Catalan giants on Spanish football’s naughty step.
Barca have spent wildly in recent years and tried to balance the book by effectively mortgaging future TV and other incomes by selling off a stake in the club.
Now the Nou Camp side is embroiled in another row after it emerged they had allegedly been paying off a senior member of Spanish football’s refereeing hierarchy over multiple seasons.
And speaking at the FT Business of Football summit in London, Tebas confirmed: “As of today, Barcelona doesn’t have any room in its budget to spend in the upcoming transfer window.
“Barcelona has been involved in questionable behaviour which has had an impact on LaLiga – and we are acting accordingly.”
Tebas added: “We have ruled that they can no longer sign more players.
“They sold off €700m in TV rights and tried to find different ways to solve the situation.
“But they won’t be able to do that next season.
“We have strict economic controls. At the end of each window, we tell all the clubs in LaLiga what they can spend.
