Report: Barcelona to cut roughly half of scouting department

As part of a significant organizational restructuring, Barcelona plan to cut their scouting department roughly in half, sources told ESPN's Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden.

A club spokesperson said the decision to make cuts isn't related to the coronavirus pandemic and has been planned for some time, according to ESPN.

The scouting department consists of about 40 people. Between 15 and 20 of those employees are expected to be retained, Llorens and Marsden add, noting that many who will be departing are out of contract at the end of June.

Some of those leaving the club are "on big salaries, while others earn as little as €600 a month in part-time roles," according to the report.

Many scouts have been furloughed since March as a result of COVID-19 but have remained on full salaries after Barcelona players took wage cuts to ensure other club employees wouldn't be impacted financially.

At the beginning of May, vice president Jordi Cardoner told ESPN that the club had already lost around €140 million as a result of the work stoppage. As such, Barca is believed to be desperate to sell players this summer in a bid to bring in roughly €70 million to help balance the books.