La Liga: teams' salary cap 2023-2024

In the summer transfer period for the 2023/2024 season of La Liga, Real Madrid was allowed to spend up to roughly 727.5 million euros on salaries, setting the highest spending limit among the 20 soccer teams in the Spanish top-tier soccer league in that season. Atlético de Madrid had the second-highest salary cap, while the FC Barcelona ranked third with a limit of 270 million euros.

The salary cap, known as ‘límite de coste de la plantilla deportiva (LCPD)’ in Spain, is approved by La Liga based on a proposal for the upcoming season given by each club. To calculate the final amount, the clubs’ expected revenues and their non-sport expenses are considered.

FC Barcelona: struggling financially?

The FC Barcelona’s net profit in 2022/2023 was the highest recorded since over one decade, surpassing 350 million euros. Versus the previous season, this represented an increase of 260 percent. Meanwhile, the Spanish club’s operating revenue also reached a record of 1.26 billion euros. Nonetheless, FC Barcelona lost one spot in the annual salary cap ranking in the 2023/2024 season.

La Liga’s transfer spending

With total transfer fees amounting to over 700 million euros in the 2023 season, the Spanish soccer market’s spending remained below pre-pandemic levels, though significantly higher than in 2020 and 2021. In those years, this spending dropped more than 63 percent and 76 percent versus 2019, reaching the lowest spending since 2013. Behind the English Premier League, La Liga is the second most valuable soccer market among European leagues.