Report: Barcelona looking for new sponsors as Rakuten decide to discontinue with the club

It seems Joan Laporta’s headache as the president of the club in its darkest realm will only continue to grow multifold as Rakuten have decided not to continue with the club as the primary shirt sponsor, reports SPORT.

There are several offers on the table for Barcelona owing to their stature in the sport. However, the departure of Lionel Messi is bound to have taken a toll on the size of the offers.

Rakuten and Barcelona started out as partners in 2017, with the Japanese company paying €55 million per year for three years. Eventually, the amount was reduced to €30 million when the two parties agreed on a renewal in October 2020.

Beko, Barça’s sleeve sponsor, will also be replaced. Both deals will be replaced with better contracts with different companies.

Additionally, the club is also rumoured to be looking for naming rights for the new stadium. It will help the club provide an additional stream of revenue to be able to compete in the transfer market, while being able to also pursue their goal of expanding the Camp Nou.