There has been a change of plans for the upcoming preseason tour. In recent years, Barça has been a regular in the United States, a country where they offer payment guarantees and pay very well. The problem is that the Club World Cup will be held there this summer, which has led to opting for an alternative destination like Asia. Joan Laporta has moved well, trying to secure the best possible financial deal, especially considering that nothing will be earned from the new FIFA competition.
10 Million for 2 Matches in Korea
The podcast "Barça Reservat" has announced that Barça has secured an agreement for the upcoming Asia tour to play two matches in Korea. In total, for these two friendlies, the club will earn 10 million euros net. They are very happy in Barcelona, with the Korean company organizing the matches paying the taxes and even having already paid a good part of the agreed amount in advance.
The way these two friendlies in Korea were secured has been curious. The proposal came from Enric Masip, Joan Laporta's right-hand man, who received the "tip" from his friend Albert Luque. The latter, after his time with the Federation, built a good relationship with the company that will organize the matches, having conveyed the offer to Barça.
After this, according to the aforementioned information, Masip conveyed the proposal to the marketing department, which closed the deal: 10 million euros net for just 2 matches.
Barça Organizes: 2 Matches in Korea and...
With these 2 friendlies in Korea secured, Barça is still negotiating how the rest of the tour in Asia will be. Initially, stops in Japan and China were planned, although the latter might be dropped.
In China, there are no good payment guarantees for the preseason. Barça has had bad experiences in the past that are weighing on the current decision. Precisely, last summer the basketball team headed to the country with a big contract in place, but it hasn't been fulfilled, and now they want to ensure everything is in order.
These two matches in Korea are secured and closed, with 10 million net to be earned. Now, two other matches are missing, which are likely to be played in Japan if the China option falls through. In total, for four friendlies, Barça expects to earn close to 20 million euros net, or even exceed this high amount.
There are other major teams that are also not playing in the upcoming Club World Cup, like Liverpool or Manchester United. In addition to other Asian teams, they could be Barça's rivals across the continent.