Barcelona have secured a huge windfall having agreed to sell a significant chunk of their television rights - giving them a timely financial boost for the summer transfer window.
The Catalan giants recently confirmed their decision to generate income by selling their broadcasting rights - the club’s members voting through the sale. It has not taken long for an agreement to be reached with the Spanish giants announcing that 10% of their LaLiga TV rights have been sold to global investment firm Sixth Street.
They are set to invest €207.5m (£178.1m) over the 2022/23 season, with Barcelona receiving a ‘total capital gain' of €267m (£229m). It is not yet clear what the immediate impact will be on their transfer business but it certainly complicates matters as they negotiate a host of deals including the arrival of Raphinha and sale of Frenkie de Jong.
On the sale, club president Joan Laporta said: “We are activating economic levers and executing on our patient, sustainable, and efficient strategy to strengthen the club’s financial footing.
“Sixth Street is a proven supporter of football, an experienced investor across global sports and media, and a partner that will contribute significant knowledge and resources while allowing us to independently manage our operations.”
The deal will of course alleviate the financial strain at the Camp Nou - an element that saw the Catalan giants forced to let go of iconic Argentine Lionel Messi last summer. The new-found investment may also put a few imminent deals into some slight jeopardy.
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Manchester United are hard at work to seal a deal for Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong and have even agreed an initial fee of £56m with Barcelona - the Spanish side previously under some pressure to sell. Whilst it remains to be seen where the new investment would be used, it might be suggested that they are in a far more healthy position to retain the services of the former Ajax star should they wish to.
In the meantime, Barcelona are attempting to beat Chelsea in the race for Leeds United winger Raphinha. The Blues have also reportedly come to an agreement with the Yorkshire club regarding a transfer but that appears unlikely to be the end of the saga with Barca having held a meeting with his agent Deco over the last few days.
Added investment might well be able to see them match Chelsea’s offer for Raphinha - something that will certainly leave the Blues sweating, especially with it appearing that the Brazilian is more keen on a switch to Spain as opposed to Stamford Bridge.
Whilst decisions are yet to be made on the futures of both De Jong and Raphinha, it already appears that boss Xavi has made a few calls on his current squad. The likes of Samuel Umtiti, Martin Braithwaite, Oscar Mingueza and Riqui Puig have all been informed that they do not feature in the club’s plans and will not attend pre-season training.
Meanwhile, long-serving defender Gerard Pique is also among those who have been told that they can leave but the Spaniard is determined to remain at the Camp Nou for the foreseeable future.
