Last week Barcelona made a delayed trip to East Asia to start their tour for the season through Japan and South Korea. Initially it was canceled because the Catalans claimed that there had been “serious contract surcharges” with regard to payments they owed, but in the end the case was resolved.
And it was partially resolved with the help of a former main sponsor: Rakuten. The Japanese e-commerce company, which played on the Catalans shirt between 2017 and 2022, stepped in to help Barcelona receive the funds they initially agreed, which meant that Hansi Flick's team traveled for their luminaire against Vissel Kobe.
The relationship between Barcelona and Rakuten finished amicably, and although there is no chance for them to return to the most important sponsor of the club because of the presence of Spotify, MD has unveiled that the Japanese company is interested in becoming involved with the ruling La Liga champions.
And there is every chance that an agreement can be made, especially since Barcelona is desperate to raise money in their efforts to alleviate their well -documented financial misery. Club president Joan Laporta recently spoke on rakuten, and the help they offered to ensure that the Japanese leg of their pre-season tour went ahead.
“They showed their interest. Mikitani intervened decisively to be able to go to Japan during the tour. We think he can be a good employee.”
It will be interesting to see if there will be developments with regard to Barcelona and Rakuten in the coming weeks/months. There is absolutely room for something to happen, and the money generated from a possible agreement can help with the plans of the club to return to the 1: 1 rule of La Liga as quickly as possible.