Barcelona, in an attempt to obtain additional funds after the summer purchase of reinforcements, sold a part of its production center for 100 million euros (2.5 billion crowns). Club president Joan Laporta has announced that he has sold a 25 percent stake in the Barca Studios subsidiary to the socios.com platform.
The money raised will allow Barcelona to comply with the Spanish league’s financial rules and register the players they acquired in the summer. They include striker Robert Lewandowski, midfielder Raphinha and most recently defender Jules Koundé, who was officially unveiled today.
Barcelona spent more than 160 million euros (3.9 billion crowns) on these three players. In the summer, it spent the most money on reinforcements from European clubs, although it has been struggling with financial difficulties in recent years.
Laporta faces criticism that he is putting the future of the club at risk with his current money-making tactics. Barcelona has already sold 25 percent of its television rights to the Spanish league for the next 25 years for 667 million euros (16.4 billion crowns) to the American company Sixth Street. “We have the risk under control. We have to save the club and be able to bring in new players,” stated Laporta.
Under the previous management, Barcelona got into big debts due to the coronavirus pandemic, which Laporta estimated a year ago at 1.35 billion euros (34.5 billion crowns at the time). Because of this, among other things, the club could not register a new contract with the star Lionel Messi, who left for Paris Saint-Germain, and ended the previous season without winning a trophy.
Barcelona will enter the new league season on August 13 with a match against Vallecano.
–
