Barcelona president Joan Laporta sends warning to Nike as kit dispute continues

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has sent a warning to Nike amid the ongoing kit dispute with the sportswear giant.

The Catalans are said to be considering breaking their contract with Nike and potentially moving over to Puma or even making their own shirts with the help of Hummel.

Laporta has offered an update on the situation in an interview with Mundo Deportivo and insists he’s just trying to do the best thing for the club.

“Sometimes the easy thing is not the best. And now what we want is the best for Barça,” said Laporta. The market is telling us that Barça is worth more than what we have in the contract with Nike,” he said.

“There have been 27 years with Nike, we have had periodic meetings, we are having meetings, they have made an effort that I have greatly appreciated but that is not enough.

“Now that we are in the process of economic recovery, what we cannot do is go down, Barça must have the best contract on the market, but the best is the best contract on the market, as I did in my first stage.

“The contract we currently have is not the best on the market and Barça is the club that sells the most shirts in the world. You must have the best contract on the market and if not, fortunately we have other options.”

Barcelona’s contract with Nike runs until 2028 but it seems increasingly likely the club could break the deal early and take up a better offer from Puma.