Barcelona players' December wages unpaid as club's financial crisis rumbles on

There was a time when Barcelona were synonymous with winning trophies and signing some of the biggest names in world football.

Now, whenever you hear the name 'Barcelona', chances are you're about to hear something about just how much a mess of a football club they are - and unfortunately this article is no different.

El Partidazo de COPE report that - despite their squad having agreed to take a salary cut last month - the Barça players are yet to be paid their December wages.

Now, this would be pretty bad under any circumstances, but when you hear the wage structure at the club means the players only get paid twice a year - once in June and once in December - you realise just how much of an issue this is.

Granted, Lionel Messi probably isn't now scouring the internet for payday loan companies with the best interest rates so that he can pay his mortgage, but it's still a farcical position for a club of their stature to be in.

The Blaugrana were forced to endure a fire sale of some of their top earners over the summer in a bid to trim the wage bill. Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic were all moved on last season, with a whole host of other senior players also heading for the Camp Nou exit door.

Those who have remained in Catalonia have agreed to waive any potential performance driven bonuses they might have received this campaign, however, the cutbacks haven't been enough to drag the club out of financial turmoil.

Recently surfaced reports have suggested that Barcelona still owe as much as €323m (£287m) in transfer fees, with Premier League side Liverpool still owed €70m (£62.1m) for the sale of Philippe Coutinho, despite the Brazilian departing Merseyside over three years ago.