Barcelona offered stunning €120 million-per-season deal with another €100 million in bonus by sportswear giants
According to MARCA, Barcelona have been offered a €120 million per-season deal with an additional €100 million signing bonus by sportswear giants Puma for their shirt sponsorship rights. The German corporation is looking to lure the Catalan giants away from their current deal with Nike.
Barca signed the deal with Nike back in 2016, which pays them €85 million per season until 2028. However, given Barcelona’s dire financial condition, they are not entirely happy with Nike’s terms and are considering alternatives.
Puma are willing to offer Barcelona a €100 million signing bonus right away, which could relieve a considerable amount of financial stress for the club’s administration. Their €120 million per season offer is also notably higher than Barca’s current deal with Nike.
If Barca end up choosing Puma, they will have to initiate legal proceedings to terminate the contract with Nike which could potentially require them to pay a release fee. They are reportedly hopeful that a part of the signing bonus could be used to pay off the required fees.
The Catalan giants also added €10 million to their budget after their 4-2 aggregate win against Napoli in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
If Barcelona decide to sign with Puma, they would join a host of European giants such as Manchester City, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund in their sportswear family.
Half of the remaining managers in the UEFA Champions League are products of the Barcelona system
Four of the last eight teams in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League are led by managers who have come through Barcelona’s academy system. Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Enrique, Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Barca’s Xavi all represented the club at youth level.
Coincidentally enough, Xavi, Guardiola, and Enrique took the pitch together for Barca’s first team as well. Arteta, however, only played for their B team and never made a senior appearance.
Guardiola is undoubtedly the most successful coach out of the four, having managed European giants such as Barca, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.
Enrique was at the helm of a treble-winning campaign in his debut season at Barcelona in 2015 and went on to manage the Spanish national team as well. In his first season at PSG, he is aiming to win them their first ever UCL title.
Arteta was Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City before taking up the top job at Arsenal back in 2019. After some initial struggles, he has established the Gunners as genuine title contenders in the Premier League as well as the Champions League.
Finally, Xavi took up the reins at Barcelona in 2021 after enjoying a stellar playing career at the Camp Nou where he won every single trophy on offer. He helped Barca to the 2022-23 La Liga title, but has announced his departure at the end of the current season.
