More meetings are to be held this Tuesday between the interim Barcelona board, the first-team players and the B team players. Representatives for each of these parties will discuss the proposals for a new round of pay cuts, with the club keen for a 30 percent reduction in salaries.
Previous discussions have shown that the stances of the club and the players are far apart as things stand, so there is not much optimism that an agreement will be reached at this meeting. There is an awareness of the need for an agreement, but it's not expected to happen this Tuesday.
The footballers want the interim board to fully justify this significant pay cut. They understand the difficult times that the coronavirus pandemic has caused in of the club's revenue, but want to see clear figures and have guarantees that what is saved now can be paid back down the line in the form of extra years of contract.
With wages making up 70 percent of Barcelona's budget, the club is keen to save 191 million euros from the professional players' salaries.
There's a desire to avoid a unilateral pay cut, which Barcelona could impose. That, though, would through up all kinds of legal issues.
In theory, the deadline for coming to an agreement was this Wednesday. But, it's not being ruled out that this could be extended.
With the players' next payments to be received in January, there is time for this to be worked out. The players believe there is no need to rush this. Those in charge at the club, though, are keen for the figures to be confirmed as soon as possible.
The first round of pay cuts, back in March during the country-wide lockdown, also threw up a lot of controversy. These negotiations aren't proving to be easy, either.