Barcelona close to a €300m deal on Camp Nou’s naming rights

Barca are in the final stages of negotiations over naming rights for Camp Nou.

“Pre-season tours for clubs are just an affair to gain extra fitness and practice before the official season kicks off.”

The statement is only true to a certain extent. Clubs also travel to foreign destinations for pre-season to look for sponsors who they can tie up with for future ventures.

Barcelona are currently in the United States as part of their pre-season tour. The Spanish champions drew 1-1 with Tottenham in their only friendly so far which they later won on penalty shootouts.

They have two more games in Arlington, Texas and Santa Clara, California against Roma and Milan. The Catalans will be looking to build up on form to perform their best in 2018/19.

While the players are busy training and tightening their screws, the board of directors is busy looking for sponsorship. Latest news from Marca has emerged that Josep Bartomeu and Co. are looking at Asian and American sponsors to help the FC Barcelona venture in growing.

A bumper agreement could also see the iconic Camp Nou get renamed in a deal worth €300 million every year.

The Nou Camp will undergo a massive renewal and be re-established in 2022 soon. The Catalans are hoping to add a name that can bring them a sponsor. Qatar Airways is Barcelona’s airline sponsor.

Also read: Lucas Digne confirms Barca exit

Etihad Airways and Emirates have both been sponsors to Man City and Arsenal respectively. Therefore, an airline’s name to the stadium being added cannot be ruled out.

Meanwhile, Rakuten from Japan should also not be ruled out. The brand promoter is most likely to be from Asia over the Americas. Barcelona will finalise who their new stadium’s sponsor will be in the next year’s Annual General Meeting. The squad is also expected to visit China or Japan to strengthen ties with other brands.