Barcelona given huge offer from Qatari side to use their name
Barcelona still need to reduce their wages but a huge influx of money from the Middle East may help them with their finances.
Ryan Sidle
Barcelona have been offered the chance to make a huge sum of money by a Qatari team who want to use the Spanish giants name.
Financial troubles have followed Barcelona for a few years especially in the wake of losing money when the Nou Camp was closed during Covid.
The stadium is set to be closed next season as well but this time as they renovate it and they'll instead be playing at The Estadi Lluis Companys.
Those finance problems were the reason they had to let Lionel Messi go in the first place and the continuations is why they couldn't re-sign him this summer.
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Registering platers has been an issue for the club in the past due to those funds, which certainly affecting Gavi in the previous season.
In fact even new signing Ilkay Gundogan has it written into his deal that he can leave the club at the end of the summer for free if he can't be registered.
The club have confirmed that in the past year or so they've managed to lessen their huge wages, no doubt helped by the likes of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba leaving the club.
And now they could find their finances further boosted by an offer from a Qatari side who want to use the Barcelona name for their club, as part of a franchise.
According to Spanish outlet Tot Costa, club president Joan Laporta was spotted in the Gulf State having a meeting and was reportedly offered €100 million for the naming rights.
Last summer Laporta pulled a number of 'financial levers' in order to make sure that the club could make their summer transfers.
Those included selling off a percentage of different revenue streams for the Spanish champions, including a slice of their future tv rights deals.
The spotlight was shone on Qatari football in the years leading up to last summer's World Cup but it doesn't really have any profile outside of that.
They will have seen their neighbours Saudi Arabia get involved in the sport in recent weeks with signings such as Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante.
Perhaps the use of Barcelona's name for one of their teams will help get their own stronger footing in the sport.