Barcelona are considering ending their long-standing partnership with Nike. The Spanish giant’s kit has been manufactured by Nike for 25 years but there’s been disagreements between the two parties in recent years. Their contract runs until 2028 but it’s been reported that Barcelona could look to terminate that agreement with Spanish outlet Sport claiming the La Liga side could produce their kits in-house and create a new label. Barca Licensing Merchandising (BLM) already manufacture and produce all the club’s non-sporting clothing and president Joan Laporta recently hinted at using BLM to make Barcelona’s kits.
“There are three options: continue with Nike, accept what the market offers us, which would pay us much more, and there is the option of doing it ourselves through BLM as we do with other types of clothing ,” Laporta said. “If you see what it costs to make the shirts and the price at which they are sold… In terms of profitability, creating Barça’s own brand is not ruled out, although there are safer options like those paid for by the market.” Barcelona’s dismal financial predicament is well documented and they’ve already sold off percentages of future revenues in exchange for immediate investment. As Laporta admitted, turning down guaranteed revenue from reputable companies would be risky but Barcelona’s global reach is enormous. This was evident in UEFA’s European Club finance and investment report – released last month – which highlighted that Barcelona’s revenue from kit and merchandise sales were higher than any other club in Europe.
Top 20 European clubs with highest kit and merchandising revenue
Barcelona earned €179 million from kit and merchandising revenue in 2023, which is testament to their worldwide popularity. Barca’s contract with Nike is reportedly worth around €85m per season and accounts for a significant percentage of their overall earnings. Barcelona’s kit and merchandise revenue increased by €60m from 2022 to eclipse their fierce rivals Real Madrid by €24m in 2023.
Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester United make up the top five and there’s a significant drop off to sixth placed PSG. Fifth placed Man United made €130m, which is 35% more than the French champions (€97m). Three more English clubs are in the top ten – Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur – with Italian giants Juventus also featuring. Treble winners Manchester City miss out on the top ten in 11th with €73m, while Leeds United are surprisingly in the top 20. Leeds United rank 16th after earning €34m which is more than Fenerbahce, Frankfurt and Inter Milan. Scottish champions Celtic are 17th in the list after generating €34M in kit and merchandising revenue.