FC Barcelona Finalizing ‘Economic Levers’ That Could Bring Up To $440 Million: Reports

FC Barcelona are finalizing two ‘economic levers’ that could bring in over €400 million ($437 million), according to a series of reports from Spain.

President Joan Laporta coined the phrase ‘economic lever’ last summer, as the financially-struggling Catalans pulled a series of them revolving around selling percentages of future television rights money in order to make new signings such as Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Raphinha.

Barca also sold two 24.5% stakes in Barca Studios worth €100 million ($109 million) each to Orpheus and Socios. Almost a year on according to MARCA, the club is now in the final stage of talks to offload another 24% sake in the audiovisual hub which will bring in more than the quoted fee and could be key to their quest to see Lionel Messi return to the club.

Messi is a free agent on June 30 when his Paris Saint Germain contract expires, but president Joan Laporta and sporting director Mateu Alemany have had to draw up a viability plan for La Liga that proves the club can pull off the coup amid debts and the Spanish top flight’s president Javier Tebas warning them they must shave €200 million ($218 million) from the wage bill.

After Barca transfer market expert Gerard Romero reported last week that the viability plan was presented at the end of March and didn’t convince league bosses, the potential sale of another stake in Barca Studios could be introduced and get it over the line.

Barca are also aware they could sell a fourth remaining stake in Barca Studios, according to MARCA, but the club is pressed for time with Messi’s arrangement in the French capital coming to an end in just over two months.

If Barca can convince La Liga they have the means to welcome back their greatest ever player, it has been suggested by Mundo Deportivo that Messi in himself is an ‘economic lever’.

Vice president Rafa Yuste confirmed that talks with the Messi camp are already underway, and Romero has reported that Tebas believes the World Cup winner has already agreed to join his former club of over 20 years.

On Wednesday morning, the daily newspaper reports how Barca want to sign the Argentine for two years and believe he can represent 25-30% of total revenue.

Mundo Deportivo reached out to sources from the club’s former board put together by Laporta’s predecessor Josep Bartomeu, and they claimed that Messi brought in €250-300 million ($274-329 million) when incomings from merchandising, ticketing and sponsorship were counted.

Along with the Barca Studios stake sale then, the overall total coming Barca’s way could exceed €400 million ($437 million). This would be greatly welcomed at a time when the Blaugrana are set to lose up to €100 million ($109.6 million) because of their temporary switch to the Montjuic Stadium in 2023/2024 as reported by Relevo, and when they also need to make signings other than Messi to compete in Europe again.

Barca have stumbled on the final stretch of this term, but appear destined to win the La Liga title for the first time in four years given an 11 point lead at the top. On the continent, however, they have suffered four embarrassing premature exits in just over a year from the Champions League and its inferior cousin the Europa League.