Barcelona announce record $800m revenue

Barcelona announced Monday record income of 708m euros ($812.8m) for 2016/2017 with an after-tax profit of 18m euros. The Spanish giant said the healthy revenue was up 13m on the forecast figure in their budget for the period. A statement following the approval of the accounts at a board meeting disclosed the club has reduced its debt by 24.5m euros to 247m euros. The salaries of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Co account for 66% of Barca's expenditure, the statement added.

FC Barcelona have announced a record income of €708m over the 16/17 season. pic.twitter.com/RqgyS5xQWs

— BarçaSpiral (@BarcaSpiral) July 17, 2017

Barça say the financial results fit into the club's strategic plan for revenue to top one billion euros by 2021. The Catalan side are ranked the fourth most valuable sports team in the world after the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, Major League Baseball's New York Yankees and Manchester United by Forbes magazine. Last season Barca relinquished their Spanish title to Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Juventus who went on to lose to Barca's arch-rival Real in the final in Cardiff.