Barcelona President wants El Clasico at 17,000 stadium if Montjuic and Camp Nou are unavailable

Barcelona are still heaving headaches about their stadium situation, with little clarity on when they will return to the renovated Camp Nou. Initially they were due to be back in late November, but that has been pushed back on several occasions. They believe they will be back before the end of the season in May, but an exact date is proving hard to pin down.

The Blaugrana will return initially to a 60,000-seater Spotify Camp Nou as work continues on the third tier, and that is their preferred option to host El Clasico against Real Madrid in the second weekend of May. In case it is not ready in time, Barcelona are negotiating with the promoters of the Rolling Stones concerts due to take place at Montjuic in order to host the big game at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. It would require the three-night run to be pushed back.

According to RAC1, President Joan Laporta does not want the game to leave Catalonia if neither of those options come off. It had been suggested that Barcelona were considering taking the game outside of Spain, to a showpiece venue such as Wembley, where they could take in significant revenue, and still host the game. However Laporta is against that plan, as he is keen for Barcelona fans to attend the game.

While Real Madrid are 7 points clear of the Catalan side currently, there is a chance that a title is on the line in the final weeks of the season. In that case, Laporta would be keen to host the game at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, located at their Ciutat Deportiva training ground. The stadium, purpose built for Barca Atletic, Barca Femeni and youth sides, has a capacity of just 6,000 fans, but with temporary stands, they believe that it could reach 17,000 fans. It should be noted, this would be a third-choice behind Montjuic and Camp Nou.