FC Barcelona have been facing dire financial conditions for the last few years, and the Catalan club has been exploring options to engage investors to mitigate this situation, at least in the short term. The club has already pulled a number of levers that allowed the Catalans to meet their short-term demands, but more still needs to be done.
Recently, there have been news that the club is planning to activate a lever that involves a German investment fund, to which Barcelona will sell a 16% stake in Barca Studios and get €60 million in return. This cash injection was reported to be enough for Barcelona to register their recently signed players and the renewed contracts of some players.
However, according to Mundo Deportivo, there is another possible source of funding appearing for the Blaugranes. Their report mentions that Saudi Arabian investment groups can invest in the club, which will provide Barcelona with the liquidity that the club desperately needs.
There have been several groups in Saudi Arabia that are monitoring the situation of the Camp Nou side, and who would be willing to invest their capital in the club. Barcelona President, Joan Laporta, visited Saudi Arabia only last year, and among the individuals that he met during this visit was the President of the Saudi Federation in Riyadh.
While such an investment can take place in the coming weeks and months, no formal contacts have taken place between the interested groups and FC Barcelona as of yet. However, the interested investors have been in touch with the Spanish representatives present in the Middle Eastern country.
This investment in one of the most well-known football clubs in the world is a part of the recent drive by Saudi Arabia to become a reference in the footballing world. For this purpose, the country has already invested huge amounts to bring the most celebrated footballers to their league, while also putting significant money in the established leagues.
Being one of the top leagues in the world, La Liga can be a target of their investment from the oil-rich Middle-Eastern country. This opportunity comes at a good time for FC Barcelona, as the Catalan club needs liquid funds urgently, especially to compete with the other state-backed clubs in Europe.