Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Barca restructuring debt for Camp Nou remodel

Written by 
Published in Soccer
Thursday, 02 March 2023 10:00

Barcelona are renegotiating the terms of a €1.5 billion ($1.59bn) financial plan with Goldman Sachs to revamp their stadium and may have to repay the debt five years earlier than anticipated, according to a rating agency and a high-level club source.

Barcelona approved a 35-year debt plan in a referendum of club members in 2021 that would enable them to renovate their iconic but languishing Camp Nou stadium and its surroundings.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

The preliminary debt structure has been revised, the Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) said in reports published on its website, with Barca to make a final repayment in 2047 instead of 2052 as previously agreed.

The original plan represented the only source of funding for the Nou Camp project. Under the amended structure, notes would be issued for €1.3bn, with the remainder of the deal made up of a €200m bank loan maturing in 2028, the KBRA report said.

KBRA said the revised structure included additional refinancing and interest rate risk and as a result it had downgraded the financing plan's rating from BBB+ to BBB, meaning it is less attractive to investors.

A source at the club confirmed the revised debt structure but said the terms of the deal were still being negotiated with Goldman Sachs and that the definitive deal would be announced by March 31.

Goldman Sachs has not replied to a request for more information about the ongoing talks and the new terms.

Camp Nou is the largest football stadium in Europe and the fourth largest in the world by capacity with 99,354 seats but the club considers it no longer offers a full match-day experience for fans.

The club estimates the new stadium will allow Barca to generate €200m of additional revenue annually through sponsorship and naming rights, ticketing, catering, VIP boxes, hospitality, meetings and events.

Barcelona have announced that Turkish construction company Limak will carry out the renovation and work will start in June.

Club president Joan Laporta, who presided over one of Barca's most successful periods from 2003 to 2010, was reelected two years ago after the previous board resigned due to the club's worsening finances and other issues.

He inherited a club deep in a financial crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Restricted by LaLiga's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, Barca were unable to agree a new deal with club great Lionel Messi, who left as a free agent to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

Since then Laporta has tried to improve the club's financial situation, turning the club's assets into cash and bringing in new sponsors.

In March 2022, the club signed a shirt and stadium sponsorship deal with audio streaming platform Spotify in an agreement worth €280m.

Barca have also agreed to sell a 25% stake in their LaLiga TV rights for the next 25 years to U.S. private equity group Sixth Street for €607.5m and approved the sale of a minority share of their audio-visual division to Socios.com and Orpheus Media for €200m.

Read 140 times

Soccer

Ange laments Spurs' wastefulness in Roma draw

Ange laments Spurs' wastefulness in Roma draw

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLONDON -- Ange Postecoglou lamented his Tottenham Hotspur side's wa...

Amorim admits anxiety despite first Man Utd win

Amorim admits anxiety despite first Man Utd win

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsRuben Amorim has said his Manchester United side are causing him to...

Rasmus Højlund's performances could define Ruben Amorim's stint at Man United

Rasmus Højlund's performances could define Ruben Amorim's stint at Man United

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United are up and running under R...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Leaks, team meetings, losses: The factors driving the Sixers' dreadful start

Leaks, team meetings, losses: The factors driving the Sixers' dreadful start

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsTHE JULY 6 POST on Daryl Morey's Instagram page is even more perfec...

Injury-plagued Beal hobbles off in loss to Nets

Injury-plagued Beal hobbles off in loss to Nets

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPHOENIX -- Suns guard Bradley Beal limped off the court in the four...

Baseball

Dodgers minor leaguer suspended for doping

Dodgers minor leaguer suspended for doping

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Jose D. Hernandez was sus...

Crawford, 2-time WS champ with Giants, retires

Crawford, 2-time WS champ with Giants, retires

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsSAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Crawford is retiring after 14 major league...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated