Barcelona face selling 'important players' if €40m gamble on Champions League knockouts backfires

Barcelona went “all in” on reaching the Champions League knockout stage and face losing some big names if, as expected, they fail to progress from their group, according to Eurosport Spain’s Felix Martin. The Catalan giants shocked the football world with their gung-ho transfer activity in the summer, coining the phrase ‘economic lever’ and then pulling their new toys at every turn.

Ad It led to an influx of big-name signings, including Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha, as they splurged around €150 million on new players – despite it being widely reported they were facing financial peril. Champions LeagueXavi laments ‘mistakes that can’t be allowed at the top level of football’17 HOURS AGO They offset some of the expenditure with the knock-down sale of Philippe Coutinho to Aston Villa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's switch to Chelsea, while they have since agreed a deal to keep Antoine Griezmann at Atletico Madrid.

But after failing to shift big-earners like Frenkie De Jong, success this season was imperative. While the Catalan giants sit pretty at the top of La Liga, they have suffered a nightmare run in Europe with Wednesday’s 3-3 draw against Inter Milan leaving them staring at another trip to the Europa League.

Martin fears that Champions League elimination could lead Barca to selling big stars to balance the books, also leaving them at risk of losing some of their “sporting importance”. What is the damage if Barcelona fail to qualify for the Champions League knockouts? Lewandowski saved Barca from elimination with a 92nd minute equaliser against Inter at the Camp Nou, but they still need a huge dose of good fortune to reach the last 16.