Barcelona would be evaluating the possibility of a change of technical sponsor to increase revenues from commercial agreements.
The Blaugrana club is considering an offer from New Balance as reported by the Spanish newspaper Sport.
The agreement between Nike and Barcelona has been in force since 1998 and will expire in the 2027/28 season. It is one of the longest-standing partnerships in the world of football and currently guarantees the Catalan club’s coffers around €155 million per year.
When it was signed it was a record sum but Barcelona consider this value now surpassed by the current value of a new technical partnership. This pushes the Blaugrana company to look around and explore new kit suppliers. For example, Real Madrid earns more from its technical sponsor than its Catalan rivals.
There are also rumors of an interest from the German brand Puma in Barça.
The club reportedly believes it cannot break its current contract with Nike, but that doesn’t stop it from holding negotiations with other brands while the current deal is in place.
The Blaugrana club aims to further increase revenues to deal with the enormous debt weighing on the balance sheet. A value that amounts to 1.2 billion euros, excluding the amount of 1.5 billion euros for the Espai Barca project which aims to rebuild the Camp Nou.
Increasing trade revenue is a key element in reducing debt.
If New Balance were to replace Nike, it would most likely be the largest kit supplier agreement in the world of football. The company is currently a partner of clubs such as Porto and Lille and has been linked to Liverpool in the past.