Barcelona to follow Manchester United and Chelsea plans with £59m deal

Qatar Airways are currently the primary and training kit sponsor of Barcelona

BARCELONA are expected to agree a new £59million sponsorship deal with a Spanish gaming company for their training kits.

 

The Nou Camp club are seeking ways to boost revenues and have come to a four-year agreement with Botemania, claim Mundo Deportivo.

The company will emblazon their logo on all Barca training gear from the 2016/17 season.

 

AON currently sponsor Manchester United's training gear

 

Yokohama Tyres paid £200m to be Chelsea's shirt sponsor

It is a move similar to that of Manchester United and is engineered to increase the club's financial muscle and global branding.

In 2013 United agreed a £120m deal with American insurance giants Aon to sponsor their training gear and their Carrington facilities.

The eight-year deal trumped their £10million-a-year income from former training sponsor DHL.

 

Chelsea were also believed to be seeking a training kit sponsor after completing a £200m deal with Japanese tire manufacturer Yokohama Rubber last spring.

That agreement only covers shirt sponsorship and will last for the next five seasons.

Botemania, meanwhile, will pay Barca £13m in their first year as sponsor once Qatar Airways' contract with the club ends this summer.

Barca are already somewhat flush with cash after being unable to spend money on players in the last two transfer windows.

They are under a worldwide FIFA embargo from signing and fielding new players following an investigation into their youth scouting network.

That ban will be lifted in January, at which point manager Luis Enrique is expected to land some big names.

Celta Vigo winger Nolito is reportedly top of their shopping list, with Borussia Dortmund's Marcos Reus eyed as a summer target.

Juventus may also receive a bid for their star man Paul Pogba as Enrique seeks to restructure his squad to compete on domestic and European fronts.