Barcelona members ratify historic deal with Nike to improve club finances

Barcelona Members (companies) ratified the club’s new long-term deal with Nike at an emergency meeting on Saturday, with president Joan Laporta saying the deal is the largest of its kind ever signed.

There were 419 votes in favor of the agreement with the American company and 27 against, while 22 people abstained from voting.

Barca have not disclosed full details of the deal, with Laporta referring to a confidentiality clause, but sources told ESPN in November that the deal is worth more than 100 million euros (104.2 million dollars) per year before bonuses are taken into account.

The multi-year deal with Nike will help further alleviate the Catalan club’s financial problems.

“This is the best financial agreement in the history of sport with an equipment supplier,” Laporta said. “Nike understands the importance of Barça in the sporting world and this agreement makes us stronger at all levels.

“It is important for the club’s finances. The ratification of the agreement contributes to our economic recovery and also helps us to respect the financial fair play limits of La Liga.”

Figures for these types of deals are not always public in football, but Manchester United have committed to a 10-year, £1 billion ($1.1 billion) partnership with Adidas in 2023.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are said to rake in around €120 million per year from their deal with Adidas, although this was signed in 2019.

Laporta addressed members’ concerns before the vote.

Some have expressed a desire for more transparency over the numbers involved in the deal, others have complained about the prices of the goods and questions have been raised about Darren Dein’s involvement.

Dein is an agent who helped negotiate the deal between Barca and Nike. He was also involved in Barca’s deal with main sponsor Spotify in 2022 and Laporta defended his role in bringing both deals to fruition.

Barca and Nike have worked together since 1998 and the new deal helps shore up the club’s finances as they attempt to get back within La Liga’s spending limits.

In September, their cap was set at €426m, with Laporta recently saying they were over that limit by around €60m.

Sources told ESPN that the deal with Nike would not yet bring Barça within their spending limit and that it was still not enough to be able to sign Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor for the second half of the season.

Both Olmo and Victor are on temporary registrations which expire on December 31, but Barca are following various routes to be able to extend these registrations, including seeking a court order.