Barcelona President Joan Laporta warned not to cross red line with Nike sponsorship deal

On Thursday it was confirmed by La Liga that new signings Dani Olmo and Pau Victor are so far only registered by Barcelona until the end of December, meaning they must find the money to register them without the emergency injury rule between now and then. Many suspect that money may come from signing a new sponsorship deal with Nike, but there are fears about what that deal may entail.

Nike and the Blaugrana are in talks over a new deal in spite of the fact that there is four years left on the current contract. A major signing bonus would allow Barcelona more liquidity with regard to their salary limit. However it was reported by Bar Canaletes on Monday night that Barca Licensing and Merchandising (BLM), a subsidiary of the club that operates branding income globally, could be included to sweeten the deal.

Economist Marc Ciria i Roig gave a press conference alongside Ivan Cabeza on Thursday titled ‘Digital Solutions for Barcelona’, and explained that Barcelona are yet to be able to get out of a vicious circle of spending more than they make. They also expressed doubts about whether Barcelona would be in the black for the 2023-24 season without having sold assets.

However there was one asset that Ciria was desperate to hang onto, ahead of a potential deal with Nike.

“What makes me suffer is that BLM is used as a bargaining chip. That should be a red line. Either we exploit the business opportunities and preserve them or others will be the ones who will profit,” he told MD.

Tags Barcelona Joan Laporta Marc Ciria Nike

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