FC Barcelona, a team in desperate need of money, could breathe a sigh of relief in the coming days, as a jersey deal with Nike heads to its closing stages. Negotiations have gone in favor of the Catalan side, and Mundo Deportivo reports that they will get a hefty paycheck out of it.
Nike has been Barcelona’s shirt sponsor since 1998, and earlier this year, there were reports of the association ending due to financial troubles in the club’s camp. But now, the new shirt deal will see Barcelona earn $150 million as a renewal bonus.
While that itself is huge, the club will also have a guaranteed $90 million payment coming in from the American company annually.
For Barcelona President Joan Laporta and other club employees will be jubilant, particularly because their immediate interests would be under jeopardy without the Nike payment.
With the $150 million, they can sign new players to their squad for the upcoming campaign, and at the same time, afford to lose a few star players, who are occupying a huge portion of their wage bill.
After Barcelona’s fiasco involving Xavi, the club decided to part ways with the club-legend. To replace him, they got treble-winning manager (with Bayern Munich) Hansi Flick to be in charge.
Flick comes with huge expectations, but what he would also be hoping for is a team that can play to his strengths. For that, Barcelona will have to dive into the transfer market and get players that fit his system.
But Flick will have his work cut out for him. Barcelona’s main rivals Real Madrid have added Kylian Mbappe to their existing list of superstars,and are tipped to dominate not just Spain, but Europe too.
