FC Barcelona debts set to surpass €2bn after fresh Camp Nou loan
FC Barcelona’s debts are set to surpass €2bn after the club’s owning members sanctioned a mega €500m loan to help finally complete reconstruction of their Camp Nou stadium.
The fan-owned club will use €300m of the fresh €510m injection on the long-running works to make their home a 105,000-capacity venue, while the remainder of the loan will go to operational costs, according to the Athletic.
In total the club, who boast superstars including Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Pau Cubarsi, will see their debts pass €2bn and potentially rise well above that depending on repayment plans.
The budget for the rebuild of the Camp Nou and the surrounding area – dubbed Espai Barca – is now €1.8bn, over €1bn more than the initial estimated costs in the plans from 2014.
Barcelona debts mount
Barcelona’s membership, known as socios, number over 140,000 who pay an annual subscription fee to retain voting rights on key decisions. But the club’s current president, Joan Laporta, makes decisions on a day-by-day basis.
Earlier this year Barcelona was downgraded by its credit ratings agency due to delays in the construction of Spotify Camp Nou, with current plans now expected to include another voluntary relocation of the club to the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium while crucial works are completed to the unfinished top tier at their historic home.
Morningstar DBRS downgraded the Catalan club’s rating from “positive” to “stable”, despite expectations that revenues would reach €1bn this year and rise to €1.2bn by 2028.
January’s Deloitte Football Money League saw Barcelona sit second, behind fellow LaLiga club Real Madrid but ahead of every Premier League team. It was the first time since the 2019-20 season that Barcelona had featured on the podium of the Big Four firm’s annual report.
Last year they won LaLiga and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, losing to Atletico Madrid.