FC Barcelona assures that these visits have “aroused the interest” of several groups
BARCELONA, May 12. (EUROPE PRESS) –
FC Barcelona has informed of some joint meetings with Goldman Sachs to achieve the best possible financing operation to make ‘Espai Barça’ a reality, chaired by the club’s top leader, Joan Laporta, and aimed at ‘selling’ the project that it has in the integral remodeling of the Camp Nou to its jewel in the crown.
According to the club in a statement, the project has aroused the interest of various international investment firms, some of which traveled to Barcelona to participate in a series of information sessions to delve into the project and its business plan, in addition to visiting the various club facilities.
Over three days, different meetings were organized in which some of the “most prestigious firms in the sector” participated, investment groups and rating agencies. These investors and agencies came from the hand of Goldman Sachs, an intermediary consultant in the financing of more than 45 stadiums around the world and which acts as an intermediary for the Blaugrana club.
The president, Joan Laporta, together with some members of the Board of Directors and different executives participated in these informative sessions, in which the importance of the strategic project of ‘Espai Barça’, the Strategic Plan 2021-26 of the mandate, was explained to investors , the commercial strategy or the sustainable and viable business plan of a project that will be financed, the entity pointed out, “by itself”.
The representatives of the investment groups also visited different facilities such as the Camp Nou, the Museum, the Shop, the Palau Blaugrana, the Masia, the Sports City or the Medical Center, among others, and also attended the Box at the match between the first team and Celta, with 3-1 for Xavi Hernández’s men.
On December 19, the Board of Directors obtained the green light for the financing of ‘Espai Barça’ of a maximum of 1,500 million euros in the referendum that was held for the first time online, with the participation of 48,623 members with right to vote, of which a total of 42,693, 87.80% of the votes cast, ratified the decision made by the Ordinary Assembly of compromising partners in October.
The investment will be returned after 35 years, with a 5-year grace period, since it is not paid until the works on the new stadium are finished and it begins to generate income, because the ‘Espai Barça’ will be financed with the increases in income generated by the new project.
The estimate is that the Espai Barça generates 200 million euros a year in income thanks to sponsorships and title rights (the agreement also ratified with Spotify), ticketing and restaurants, VIP boxes and hospitality assets, operation of Meeting & Events and the Museum.
