Spanish LaLiga football club Barcelona is reportedly in talks with four construction companies to carry out renovation work at the Camp Nou as part of its wide-ranging Espai Barça project.
According to Spanish construction news website Expansión, Barcelona is in negotiations with FCC, Acciona, Ferrovial and Sacyr, with a view to appointing its preferred construction partner by next spring.
The chosen partner would work with Barcelona on the expansion of the Camp Nou to a capacity of 105,000. The Espai Barça project also includes the delivery of a new Palau Blaugrana arena and the wide-ranging Campus Barça development.
Barcelona is looking to press ahead with Espai Barça after its members voted overwhelmingly in favour of a funding proposal for the project at the weekend.
The online referendum saw 87.87% of members vote to ratify a decision made by the club’s delegate members in October to back the board of directors’ proposal to negotiate a financing operation of up to €1.5bn (£1.28bn/$1.69bn) for the project.
Barcelona hopes to begin work on the Camp Nou expansion in the summer of 2022 and finish the project by 2025. The club hopes to complete work on the Palau Blaugrana by 2026.
Sunday’s referendum ratified the authorisation for Barcelona’s board of directors to implement “whatever actions it deems necessary or convenient” to procure funding for Espai Barca. The club said that “under no circumstances” will the project cost more than €1.5bn.
Barcelona also confirmed that a finance operation for the project will be negotiated with Goldman Sachs under previously agreed terms which will deliver a return on investment within 25 years. Payments will not be made until work on the Camp Nou is finished and it starts to generate revenue.
Earlier this month, Barcelona chief executive Ferran Reverter said that the club was considering playing matches at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys while renovation work is carried out at the Camp Nou, and also confirmed the team is evaluating “various offers” for naming rights to the revamped venue.
Image: Pedro de Sousa on Unsplash
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