Sources have exclusively confirmed to Blaugranagram that a deal between Barcelona and Nike is close to being made official, amid legal proceedings.
Barcelona have been keen to move on from Nike as their kit sponsor, despite the deal initially running out in 2028.
The Catalan side have been left unsatisfied with the way Nike has carried out their partnership with the club, stating distribution issues as well as Robert Lewandowski’s kit name print as some of the highlights of Nike’s alleged breach of contract.
In Lewandowski’s case, an upside-down ‘M’ was reportedly used in countries that did not use the letter ‘W’ in their alphabet.
In terms of distribution, the club are said to have emphasized an instance two seasons ago where the manufacturer had not stocked shirts in stores, thus forcing Barcelona in the red in terms of shirt sales.
Sources have however exclusively confirmed to Blaugranagram that Barcelona seem to be forced to cut their losses and renew their deal with the American kit manufacturer, Nike. This comes after an intense round of legal proceedings.
Initially, Barcelona took Nike to court for the alleged breach of contract, and the court ruled in the favor of Nike. The Catalans have since appealed the case, but with Spain’s bureaucracy, the court is taking a while to respond, as Barcelona have now taken Nike to court twice in two weeks, sources confirm to Blaugranagram.
Given that the initial ruling was in favor of Nike, it seems rather unlikely that the appeal would be ruled in favor of Barcelona. Should the court refer to the initial ruling for the appeal too, Barcelona would be forced to retain Nike as their kit sponsor. In this instance, a deal from 2025 onwards would be announced, sources tell Blaugranagram.
Should Barcelona be granted their appeal, however, they would be able to move on to a different kit sponsor without having to pay a compensation for early contract termination to Nike. Should they still wish to break their contract with the manufacturer, a compensation fee would have to be put on the table, similar to a premature contract termination with a player or manager. In an ideal scenario for Barcelona, this compensation could stem from a sign-on bonus from their new kit sponsor, but this would not only bring Barcelona less profit from a new deal, but would also put the new kit sponsor under financial pressure potentially jeopardizing the deal.
Given Barcelona’s financial struggles and an open transfer window, the chances of the latter option being triggered do appear rather slim.
The current contract between the club and manufacturer runs until 2028.
