Barcelona tried to sign Milan’s Rafael Leao with contract letter of intention – rejected by La Liga | OneFootball

There was no shortage of talk about what Barcelona would be able to do if they got a new sponsorship deal over the line with Nike, particularly in the transfer market. They even tried to do some of that business without getting it over the line.

According to Bar Canaletes, in his desperation to make a star signing, Barcelona President Joan Laporta went all out to sign AC Milan forward Rafael Leao. That attempt hinged on being able to register him, and Laporta sent a memorandum of understanding to La Liga stating their and Nike’s intentions to sign a deal.

Laporta continued to insist on this step, and La Liga President Javier Tebas then contacted unofficial Barcelona fixer Alejandro Echevarria to make it clear that this would not be sufficient, and Laporta should stop trying to make it happen. More concerning, Tebas intimated that they ‘would not look the other way’ as they did with Dani Olmo’s signing, wherein he was allowed to be registered via an emergency injury rule in place of Andreas Christensen’s salary. There was some debate over whether the Dane’s injury was likely to keep him out as long as the suggested four months.

La Liga were more steadfast on this matter though, and Nike remain in control of the deal, as they try to include Barcelona Licensing and Merchandising in the deal, in exchange for a major signing bonus, which would give Barcelona short-term liquidity in the transfer market. Bar Canaletes say that BLM could turn over €125m this year.

Barcelona’s chasing of major signings at seemingly any cost continues to look short-sighted, with the original ‘economic levers’ continuing to cause havoc with the club’s salary limit and finances. Laporta’s strategy of first exciting fans and securing victories via spending to start a virtuous cycle of income is certainly a risky one given the situation.