Barcelona will kickstart their UEFA Champions League voyage for the 2023/24 season on Tuesday as they prepare to host Belgian champions Royal Antwerp at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Montjuic.
The Blaugrana have endured a torrid run in Europe over the past couple of seasons, getting knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages and then not faring well in the Europa League either.
As has been made clear by several players, the manager, and the club president, the aim for this season is to compete hard in Europe’s premier competition and improve on the performances of the past few years.
Barcelona: The UCL team to have spent the least
In preparations for the new season, Barcelona strengthened their squad quite significantly, bringing in as many as five first-team players.
But, in doing so, the Blaugrana have spent only a total of €3.4 million on transfers which makes them the club to have spent the lowest on signings among all the 32 teams in the UEFA Champions League this season. reports Mundo Deportivo.
Indeed, the La Liga champions spent a nominal €3.4 million to sign Oriol Romeu from Girona, with the remainder of their arrivals being on loan or free transfers.
Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez joined as free agents after their contracts with Manchester City and Athletic Club, respectively, expired.
As for Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, the pair joined on season-long loan deals from Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, respectively.
Gundogan and Romeu have already become mainstays in midfield while Felix and Cancelo showed what they can do this past weekend, scoring their first goals for Barcelona.
Who is the highest spender?
Barça spent just €3.4 million – less than some of the smaller clubs in the Champions League such as Young Boys and Copenhagen.
Meanwhile, PSG stand as the biggest spenders of all the 32 clubs in the competition, having splashed close to €350 million on new signings, as they brought in players like Ousmane Dembele, Goncalo Ramos, and Randal Kolo Muani, among others.
Manchester City (€241 million), Arsenal (€235 million), and Manchester United (€207 million) occupy the next three positions, with Bayern Munich (€155 million) rounding off the top five.
Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid stand eighth on the list with total spending of €129.5 million, as per the report.
Meanwhile, the Catalans’ Group H opponents Royal Antwerp spent €10.5 million, whereas Shakhtar Donetsk’s transfers cost them €12 million. Porto stand as the team with the most expenditure in the group, with €33.4 million.
