Barcelona vice-president Javier Faus has justified the sale of Thiago Alcântara on financial grounds. "We were sad to lose Thiago, but getting €25 million for a player who isn't in the starting line-up is a good deal", he stated.

Having claimed that it was important to get David Villa off the wage bill, Faus added that clubs are "obsessed" with transfer fees – the Asturian went for comparative peanuts – while arguing that "salaries" are far more important in terms of financial stability.

He also insisted that the club can still afford to bring in more players, despite the major outlay on Neymar. "There will be enough money available to sign whoever the new coach or the technical director asks for", he stated, referring specifically to the long-awaited arrival of a centre back.

Nevertheless, the VP admitted that the appointment of new manager Gerardo 'Tata' Martino represented an additional expense that has yet to be accounted for.

In terms of facts and figures, Faus revealed that Barça made €32 million net profit (after tax) last season, with revenue rising to €491 million - €21 million more than forecast - and gross profit (before tax) standing at €44 million.

Profit could have been even higher had Barça not had to make an €8 million payment to the Spanish tax authorities relating to income earned between 2005 and 2008.