As reported recently, FC Barcelona had been in negotiations with companies based out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi over licensing the club’s brand for real estate projects in the Middle East.
It is an additional stream of revenue that the Blaugrana board had been exploring in order to further strengthen the club’s economic situation.
And, the Middle East market is considered one of the most strategic areas for the Catalans to continue increasing revenue.
Green light for the Dubai project
Now, according to Mundo Deportivo, of the two offers received by Barcelona to license their brand in the United Arab Emirates, the Catalan club have ultimately committed to the company Aspin Holdings, which is based in Dubai.
The company now plans four residential towers in a luxury area bearing the Barcelona branding, similar to developments that carry the names of Mercedes-Benz and Bugatti, or the shopping centre branded by Louis Vuitton.
By contrast, the partnership that is losing momentum and is now close to being ruled out by Barcelona is the proposal from Abu Dhabi, involving a high-end residential complex.
As per the report, there are reasonable doubts within the club about the suitability of that project, as both Chelsea FC and Manchester City are also involved.
Barcelona have already received a down payment of between €6-8 million for the agreement with the Dubai real estate project, under which the club will license the Barça brand for a period of between 30 and 40 years.
Moreover, the annual income is expected to be around €10 million, and the development will also include a club shop and a small museum.
The agreement with Aspin Holdings must be ratified at an Extraordinary General Assembly to be held after the presidential elections on Sunday, 15 March.
However, this partnership does not require the Aspin Holdings logo, which will front the buildings, to appear on the back of the shirt in place of ACNUR, whose agreement runs until 30 June.
That requirement was included in the potential deal with the Abu Dhabi company, which is now a distant prospect for Barcelona.
