As the 2025/26 season approaches, LaLiga clubs are finalising their squads amid ongoing financial scrutiny and tightened budget controls across Spanish football.
The enforcement of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules continues to impact clubs beyond just the men’s teams, with a focus on sustainability shaping transfer strategies and contract renewals.
Barcelona, one of Europe’s most storied clubs, has recently faced significant financial challenges, influencing decisions on both their men’s and women’s squads.
Amid these pressures, concerns are mounting about the long-term viability of top-tier women’s teams in Spain, particularly those linked closely to men’s clubs under strict budget regulations.
The interconnected budgets for men’s, women’s, and youth teams, as mandated by LaLiga, have placed the Barcelona Femini side in a precarious position heading into the new campaign.
The latest reports from Laia Bonals, via X, reveal that Barcelona Femini’s squad is being drastically reduced due to the club’s financial meltdown.
The women’s team will enter the season with just 17 first-team players after a summer marked by significant departures.
In a move emblematic of the club’s financial crisis, Jana Fernandez — a Spain international and academy graduate who has won 15 trophies with the club — is set to have her contract terminated to free up salary space.
Jana Fernandez is reportedly poised to join newly promoted WSL side London City Lionesses, signalling a major loss for one of the world’s most successful women’s teams.
Fernandez is among 14 players to have left Barcelona Femini this summer, with 12 departing permanently, while only two new signings have been made, both low-cost options involving a loan and a free transfer.
El Periodico also highlights growing anxiety about the future of the women’s side, particularly with nine key players out of contract next summer, including stars like Alexia Putellas and Mapi León.
A troubling pattern has emerged of not replacing departing players, raising questions about the team’s competitiveness going forward.
The club reportedly needs to cut around £680,000 in costs from the women’s squad alone, but the crisis is inextricably linked with the men’s team’s financial woes.
In a stark example of the club’s struggles, the men’s side nearly lost Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor in January before securing their registrations by selling 475 VIP Nou Camp seats to Middle Eastern investors.
These 30-year deals injected approximately £84 million into the club’s finances, helping balance the books but highlighting the lengths Barca must go to stay afloat.
This financial strain is now forcing difficult choices that risk undermining the future of one of women’s football’s greatest teams.
Jana Fernández negocia su inminente salida del Barça para fichar por el London City Lionesses. A la espera de los trámites burocráticos para su inscripción
⚽️ El Barça se quedará con solo 17 fichas del primer equipo. Salida necesaria para el fairplay
🔗 https://t.co/VTtvWPC6Uo pic.twitter.com/FiWxFDxMEf
— Laia Bonals Ruiz (@LaiaBonals) August 11, 2025
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