According to coach Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona is no longer able to spend large amounts on transfer fees for elite players such as Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

Barcelona forked out fees over 100 million euros ($109.24 million) for Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembele between 2017-19, but the club's financial issues mean they are unlikely to splurge on big new signings anytime soon.

Xavi has said they hope to sign new players in the January transfer window, but when asked if they could pursue the likes of Manchester City's Haaland or France's captain Mbappe, he told reporters: "I have to deal with the players I have because right now, we are not able to think about those kinds of signings.

"Unfortunately, we are not in a privileged economic situation to do that. I am left with the players I have, and with those players, we have to win," added the Spaniard, speaking ahead of Barcelona's league game at Las Palmas on Thursday.

"We have to win titles, and we have to play well because the bar is very high," he said.

Barcelona are fourth in the league, 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid, who have played one more game than Xavi's side.

Indecisive

Speaking of Mbappe, the Paris Saint-Germain forward said he has not made up his mind about where he will play next season as his contract enters its final six months.

Mbappe said last year he would not renew his contract at PSG, which expires at the end of the 2023-24 season when he could leave Paris for free.

Donatello, as he is affectionately known, who has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid, is now free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a new club.

"First of all, I'm very, very, very motivated for this year. It's very important," Mbappe told reporters after PSG's 2-0 win over Toulouse in the French Super Cup final on Wednesday.

"As I said, we have got titles to go after, and we've already won one, so that's already done. After that, no, I haven't made up my mind yet. But in any case, with the agreement I made with the chairperson (Nasser Al-Khelaifi) this summer, it doesn't matter what I decide. We managed to protect all parties and preserve the club's serenity for the challenges ahead, which remains the most important thing. So we'll say it's secondary," he added.

Media reports in September said Mbappe had agreed to forgo loyalty bonuses worth up to 100 million euros ($109.17 million) if he left PSG on a free transfer.

In 2022, Mbappe waited until May to announce a contract extension at PSG, just weeks before the transfer window opened. The 25-year-old said he might not leave it so late this time around.

"I think it was the end of May in 2022 because I didn't know until May," he added. "If I know what I want to do, why drag it out? It just doesn't make sense."