Barcelona and Nike working without contract since 2016
The pre-contract agreement has never been signed. Nike are paying Barça a fixed €105 million per season, with variables that can go up to €155 million.
Nike have been designing Barcelona kits since 1998, but in the last renewal of their partnership, in 2016, only a pre-contract was signed, according to EFE.
In May 2016, the La Liga club, then presided over by Josep Maria Bartomeu, announced a renewal with the North American multinational until 2028 despite the fact that the previous contract did not end until 2018. Nike pay Barça a fixed €105 million per season with variables that can go up to €155 million.
In addition to continuing to produce Barça shirts, Nike also secured rights of association and use of the Barça brand, as well as advertising and hospitality rights.
These general conditions were explained by the then vice-president of the marketing and communication department of Barça, Manel Arroyo, in October 2016. The agreement was approved by 584 votes in favour, 10 against and 9 blank. With that peace of mind behind them, Barça and Nike agreed that the final, more detailed contract would be signed two years later, when the previous one expired.
Nike doing Barça a favour
According to sources familiar with the negotiation process, the 2016 agreement was a favour that Nike did Barça, who wanted money immediately to meet the objectives of Bartomeu's board. It was not the first that the multinational had done for Barça since 1998, as until then there had been a great relationship between the two entities.
But July 2018 arrived, the end of the deadline that had been agreed to complete the contract, and it was not possible to close it due to some differences. Just before the pandemic, there was a moment when Barça and Nike considered finally signing the contract. Due to the arrival of the coronavirus, everything fell apart and those in charge of the North American multinational preferred to wait for the arrival of a new president at Barça, bearing in mind that in March 2021 there were elections.
Tension between sides
The consequence of all this is that the different clauses of the pre-contract have been left open, something that has caused some tension between both parties. Barça sources have explained to EFE that during this summer, with Joan Laporta as president, there have been meetings with Nike to sign the contract, with the club interested in having more autonomy in some aspects of the relationship, but that for the moment they have not come to fruition.
Nike are said to be happy with the elasticity of the pre-contract at a time of cutbacks in the midst of a global pandemic. The same sources explain that the relationship between Nike and Barça right now "is not good" and that the American brand believe that the figures currently being paid to the club are above the market price.
Nike, clear that the time of doing favours is over, want to reduce the current payment being made to Barcelona. When asked about these aspects, representatives of the multinational preferred to not make any statements.
Puma would have taken advantage of this situation to make an approach to the Catalan club, according to the newspaper ARA. The German multinational is currently expanding worldwide and Barça, despite the difficult economic situation they going through at Camp Nou, continue to be one of the most attractive football clubs for brands.