Barcelona is pulling out all the stops to improve its dire financial situation and has struck a new sponsorship deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
After months of negotiations, SPORT claims they have agreed a partnership with Congo’s Ministry of Sports and Tourism.
The nation’s ‘DRC, the Heart of Africa’ slogan will feature on the sleeves of Barca’s first team shirts for the next three seasons.
Barca will pocket €10 million per year from the deal. It may not be enough to get the club out of the woods, but it’s a start.
It’ll also push them closer to meeting La Liga’s 1:1 financial rules, which allow clubs to spend €1 for every €1 they save or earn.
Barca have spent the past few years struggling to get their books in order.
Their financial situation has significantly limited their transfer market activity and complicated their efforts to register players who come through the door.
This deal with DRC is a step forward in their efforts to balance the books and compete for some of the world’s best talent in the transfer market.
Congo’s Minister of Sports and Tourism, Didier Budumbu, travelled to Barcelona this past week to finalise the deal.
It paves the way for the country’s sporting sector to work with the Barca Foundation through development projects with schools and other humanitarian activities.
Congo has similar agreements with other European clubs such as AC Milan and AS Monaco, but their deal with Barca is by far the most high-profile.
Barca’s new sponsorship deal will help their summer transfer activity, although not by much.
The Blaugranas are pursuing a deal for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who is keen to make the move happen after falling out of favour with Ruben Amorim.
The €10m deal with Congo only helps if they want to sign Rashford on loan and cover his £300k per week salary.
If they’re looking to agree a permanent deal, they may need to pull more financial levers.
