Barcelona have received plenty of coverage for their use of economic levers over the past two years, selling off 25% of their La Liga TV rights for the next 25 years, and 49.5% of Barca Vision, in exchange for around €667m in total, and with it, the ability to rebuild their squad. Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Raphinha and Andreas Christensen arrived, but not all of the money did.
The deal for Barca Vision, thought to total €200m, saw the Blaugrana take in €40m initially from Socios and Orpheus Media, but have received nothing since. Thus in a bid to allow them to sign this past summer, they resold 29.5% of the stake for €120m, on the same terms, to German investment firm Libero and NIPA. The latter have provided the €20m, shortly after the deal was signed in August, but Libero are yet to pay. While several deadlines have been set in the past, according to reports, Sport say that they have 15 days to pay up their €40m.
🚨 Libero has until December 15th to pay the remaining 15 million euros. Barça don't think they will. Hence, they're negotiating with two new investors. @ferrancorreas pic.twitter.com/QtrFk4Crvg
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) November 30, 2023
However the Blaugrana do not expect this to happen. Given Libero’s payments, initially scheduled before the end of the summer transfer window, have been continually pushed back, they have begun the search for a third set of investors, and are currently looking at two options to buy Libero’s share and provide that €40m immediately.
Barcelona are on a ticking clock, as they look to open for business in the January transfer window, and given their last two investors have forced them to look elsewhere, it stands to reason they are in a poor negotiating position. With that comes the risk of doing another deal that will either be on poorer terms, or with unreliable investors.
What a mess