Cash-strapped Barcelona chasing lucrative Spotify deal, may rename Camp Nou

FC Barcelona have been busy trying to get their financial books back in order, and apart from slashing their wage bill, the Catalan giants are also looking for ways to generate revenue. Recent reports have revealed that the club is in the middle of negotiating a sponsorship deal with streaming giant Spotify.

The same company that signed a multi-million dollar deal with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is reportedly interested in a major sponsorship role with the club. According to Football España, the main shirt sponsorship space currently occupied by Rakuten is up for grabs, and the deal may also involve an even bigger branding opportunity.

With president Joan Laporta eager to rebuild the squad and modernise the club facilities, the Spotify sponsorship agreement might include naming rights for the famous Camp Nou. The stadium is an iconic part of Barcelona's identity, so even with a new name sponsor, the club is unlikely to agree to drop the original name. Instead, it will probably be renamed Camp Nou Spotify, with the sponsor's name added as an extension rather than a full replacement.

Barcelona are looking for a long-term deal to secure their revenue for the next 10-15 years, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and they will be agreeable to a shorter deal that brings in the cash flow in these trying times.

The shirt sponsorship itself has been a topic of conversation for a while now, with the Rakuten deal expiring at the end of the current season. The new sponsor's logo will grace the front of the players' jerseys as well as the back of their training shirts, and it will set the sponsor back an estimated €60-65m.

Spotify can certainly afford to pay for the space, as the Swedish company is now the the world's largest music streaming platform. The service boasts a whopping 381m active users, with close to half of those paying for premium subscriptions.