Barcelona friendly in Peru could take place in February | OneFootball

Barcelona are set to make back some of the shortfall from lost matchday income by playing friendlies abroad. The club returned to Camp Nou on Friday, hosting an open training session, and plan to be back before the end of the month at their home ground. However their budgets are predicated on an entire season at Camp Nou.

The Blaugrana are currently playing their home matches at Montjuic, which with a 55,000 capacity, does not represent a major difference in income from the renovated 45,000 Camp Nou as it is now. However the two games played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, which holds just 6,000, have put a multi-million hole in their accounts.

Failed Miami game requires fresh strategy

President Joan Laporta had planned to make up some of that shortfall from taking Barcelona to play Villarreal in Miami in the final Liga game of the year. Yet the decision of promoter Relevent to pull the event has left Laporta and his board in the lurch again. It is worth remembering that being the final year of his mandate, Laporta and his board are personably liable for any losses over the five-year period.

Image via EFE

Peru friendly could bring in €7-8m

The answer could be to play lucrative friendlies. Sport say that Barcelona have already agreed a deal to play a friendly against the Peruvian national team in Lima, which would be worth €7-8m. The deal has already been agreed, and Barcelona will be required to play the friendly at some point in 2026, having already received an advance on the fee.

The same outlet say it could take place in February, or at the end of the season, but the club are searching for a date in the second month of the year. If Barcelona qualify for the top eight of the Champions League, they will be seeded through to the Round of 16, freeing up at least two midweeks.

No doubt a long trip in the middle of the crunch time of the season, for a short and injury-ravaged squad, will not please manager Hansi Flick. There are also talks about playing another friendly in Casablanca, Morocco, in December after facing Villarreal.