Barcelona storing €4m in stock they can no longer sell | OneFootball

Barcelona have been through considerable financial issues since the pandemic in 2020, between their burgeoning debt, and their constant salary limit problems over recent years. Some of their decision-making has been heavily criticised by President Joan Laporta’s political rivals, and the latest revelation seems likely to provoke further criticism.

During their negotiations with Nike over a new sponsorship deal, there was plenty of talk over Barcelona potentially taking their business elsewhere. The Blaugrana were associated with a deal with Puma, or potentially produce their own kits. At the time, it was reported that the Blaugrana had begun designing and experimenting with production of their own kits and merchandising, producing up to 130,000 first-team shirts. The rumoured cost of those kits was around €1.5m, which following the fresh agreement with Nike, Barcelona were not allowed to sell. It was even suggested the club could gift the kits to the members, but so far this has not transpired.

Barcelona yet to find solution for unused kits and merchandise

Those reports were present just over a year ago, but El Pais (via Diario AS) say that no solution has been found for the unused sportswear. Their information is that the number of products made is more than double the initial reports, with 300,000 club items produced. The total cost is also more than double, with around €4m worth of goods currently in storage. They are being kept in an industrial unit somewhere within the urban limits of the city.

Further details on Barcelona kits

The motivation for Barcelona to produce so many kits was in part to apply pressure on Nike during negotiations with the prospect of losing the contract. However Barcelona also wanted to produce enough merchandise in order to equip all of their teams, and be able to sell first-team shirts to fans. The kits are labelled with €89 price tags, and the only branding other than the club crest is ‘BiHub’ – Barca Innovation Hub.

The deal with Nike was extended until 2038, with Barcelona earning an estimated €120m per season. Far more criticism at the time was directed to President Laporta over the commission paid to broker Darren Dein of €50m, which Laporta defended, saying he played a crucial role in securing the deal.