Barcelona’s latest trick to boost finances as more money issues loom

With Dani Olmo's LaLiga registration up in the air again, president Joan Laporta has been to Mongolia and Azerbaijan to raise funds.

Time is ticking, but Barcelona cannot afford to rest on its laurels. On December 31, Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor will no longer be registered to play in LaLiga if the club does not meet the necessary financial fair play requirements to make their temporary registration permanent. However, club executives are confident they will secure the necessary funds by that date, thanks to ongoing negotiations on new commercial agreements.

Joan Laporta travels the world in search of commercial deals with Barça

In addition, Barça chairman Joan Laporta traveled to Mongolia and Azerbaijan last week. Although the club states that these trips are for “private reasons”, Laporta has used them to potentially close deals that could benefit the club financially.

In Mongolia, he met with the Minister of Culture, Nomin Chinba, to discuss the possibility of establishing a Barça Academy and promoting the country internationally through the Go Mongolia brand. He also met with the owners of Gobi, a Mongolian multinational known for its cashmere products. Gobi announced a partnership agreement with Barcelona, ​​giving them exclusive rights to produce and sell Barça merchandise in Mongolia. Barça fans in Mongolia will soon be able to purchase official team brand products in Gobi stores.

Laporta's next stop was Azerbaijan, accompanied by Alejandro Echevarría, youth football director Joan Soler, women's football director Xavi Puig and a member of the club's security team. They attended the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, where Laporta met with businessman Adnan Ahmadzada, owner of the chemical company Azchemco, with whom he has a long-standing relationship.

Supporter groups dissatisfied with “private” Laporta trips

These trips have raised eyebrows among some supporter groups, who question the “private” nature of these trips given the presence of club officials and the public nature of the events. The supporters group 'Som un clam', led by Joan Camprubí, has demanded 'clear explanations' from the club about these trips.

Currently, with a new sponsorship deal with Nike completed, Barcelona is focused on finding new investors for Barça Vision, a project aiming to use emerging technologies to create a more engaging fan experience. They are negotiating with two potential investors, as announced at a recent membership meeting, and are already in the due diligence process with one of them.