Nike want major Barcelona asset included in new sponsorship deal

Barcelona have been speaking about the new Nike sponsorship deal for a number of months now, which could potentially see the Blaugrana back within their salary limit for the first time in two years. However the long-term costs could be significant.

The deal was rumoured to be more or less done in mid-July, and again, Barcelona President Joan Laporta sent a letter to La Liga assuring it was only missing a few details to be done in late August. However there is one key sticking point. According to Bar Canaletes, Nike are using their position of power in the negotiation to try and extract a major asset from Barcelona.

The American Sportswear brand want Barca Licensing and Merchandising to be included in the deal for them, under the guise that they will become a partner in the subsidiary. It handles the official branding around the world and the money that comes in, with Bar Canaletes claiming that it could bring in €125m this year in income.

This is the trade-off that Nike are keen to happen, in exchange for a major signing bonus in excess of €100m to give Barcelona liquidity when it comes to being able to spend in terms of their salary limit. Nike are also re-negotiating a contract that has four years remaining on it, but are also in a position of strength, as they are not permitting Barcelona to open more stores outside of Spain or sell online elsewhere in the world, as they leverage Barcelona’s desperation.

It’s a deal that could define the next decade of Barcelona’s finances. Laporta has shown already he is willing to sacrifice assets in order to gain short-term cash flow, and begin what has been termed as the ‘virtuous circle’ of wealth. During a press conference last week, Laporta said that while they could have signed a new deal with Nike during the summer, but felt that it was not the right deal.