Barcellona could leave Nike?

It could be the end of an era. According to increasingly persistent rumours, Nike may no longer be the technical sponsor of FC Barcelona, but PUMA will take its place. A revolution for all those who have always seen the swoosh on the Blaugrana jerseys, as this is one of the longest partnerships in club football. Nike has been the technical sponsor of FC Barcelona since 1998, the same year Nike also entered into a partnership with Inter and has been able to design revolutionary and iconic jerseys over the seasons that have characterised the Més que un club aesthetic. Recently, however, relations between the two parties have cooled, with the American company reportedly unable to guarantee the timely delivery of jerseys and other items to Barcelona's official shops.

PUMA has thus tried to take advantage of its rival's difficulties with a very significant offer, which is said to amount to around 200 million euros per season, of which 115 euros is fixed plus a percentage of bonuses. This is a significant increase compared to the current contract between Nike and Barca, which only provides for a fixed €100 million plus €55 million in bonuses. If Barcelona accepts PUMA's offer, it would be the club that earns the most from a technical sponsorship, overtaking Manchester City. In any case, PUMA could become Barcelona's new technical sponsor from the 2025/26 season - a date that could mark a decisive change of direction for the club.

Although Sport, a fairly reliable source regarding Barcelona, has confirmed that the pieces are falling into place, there are still many obstacles ahead of this revolutionary deal. The first concerns the current contract between the club and Nike, which would require the payment of a penalty to be cancelled, which PUMA seem unwilling to pay. The costs would therefore have to be borne by Barcelona, which does not currently have the necessary liquidity to make such an effort. At the same time, Nike does not want to lose one of its most important clients, with whom it has been associated for more than 25 years, and is trying to fulfil the contract, which expires in 2028, by resolving the problems that have arisen with the Blaugrana club.