Barca overtake arch-rivals Real as the club with the biggest wage budget in La Liga

Barcelona have the biggest Wage budget in La Liga.

According to information released on Tuesday, Barcelona now have a bigger wage budget than rivals Real Madrid for the first time since the introduction of centralised TV rights.

La Liga releases the data every September in a bid to avoid sides overspending on wages.

The budgets are linked to each team’s total income, therefore the higher a club’s income, the higher their budget.

The budget is used to cover wages for both players and staff, with Barcelona thought to have plenty of wiggle room in their accounts following the departure of Samba star Neymar, who was thought to be on big bucks at the Camp Nou.

According to the data, Barca have up to £448m to splash on playing and non-playing staff. With arch-rivals Real Madrid just behind them on £442m.

That difference may not seem a lot but it is effectively a difference of one €150,000 per week player.

Atletico Madrid have seen a considerable increase in their budget in recent years thanks to their continued progress under Diego Simeone. Fellow Madrid-based side Getafe haven’t been quite so lucky, propping up the table with a wage budget of just £25m.

Here are the wage budgets for every La Liga side:

Barcelona: £448m

Real Madrid: £442m

Atletico Madrid: £210m

Sevilla: £141m

Valencia: £100m

Villareal: £78m

Athletic Bilbao: £60m

Real Betis: £58m

Real Sociedad: £57m

Espanyol: £54m

Malaga: £47m