Barcelona forced to pay former player £7.5million after releasing him by email

Barcelona have been ordered to pay £7.5million to their former midfielder Matheus Fernandes - despite playing for just 17 minutes of first-team football.

The Brazilian had decided to sue his former employers after being released by the club via email and denied an unveiling when he signed at the Camp Nou. Fernandes joined the Blaugrana in January 2020 but his only outing for the club was as a late substitute against Dynamo Kyiv.

Fernandes moved from Palmeiras in a curious deal worth £6million and he was immediately loaned to Real Valladolid, where he made just three appearances. The Brazilian was never likely to be a first-team Barca player and his spell at the club has now proven particularly costly.

The midfielder had taken his dismissal to court after the club decided to terminate his contract in the summer of 2021. He had previously outlined how he discovered he was released from the club via email and believed this was a breach of his agreement.

The player's legal team was demanding £13million from the club over his exit but a court declared that the sum to be paid was £7.5m. Fernandes had a contract at Barcelona through to the summer of 2025 but had his agreement abruptly cut short by four years.

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It comes as a fresh economic blow to Barca, whose financial situation has been well-documented and continues to be precarious. The club's current wage bill stands at close to €600million, but they will need to reduce their outgoings on that front to €400m for next season to comply with LaLiga's financial controls.

Fernandes was asked by Globoesporte to explain his departure and said: "I didn't know [about being released], and when they told me I couldn't believe it. I was at home, I was going out with my wife and I received a message from the club asking if I had the same email address. I confirmed and then received it."

He added that he received no clarification from the Camp Nou hierarchy regarding the decision: "I didn't understand it, I sent it to my manager and lawyer. They said it was my dismissal.

"Time passed and my name came out in the press. No conversation, nothing, they didn't even call to say hello and goodbye." Fernandes added that he had "always dreamed" of playing for Barcelona but he "was not treated as a footballer".