Barcelona is "on course to become the world’s highest earning sports club," with record revenues of £804M ($1.06B) forecast for the financial year '17-18, according to Michael Kelleher of SKY SPORTS. Those revenues are boosted by the sale of Neymar to Paris St. Germain for a world-record transfer fee of £198M. Barcelona CEO Òscar Grau said, "We're presenting figures for this season which are the highest of any club in the world. No other teams -- not even in the NBA or the NFL -- reach these numbers. The club is on track to reach its target [of generating €1B ($1.2B) a year] by 2021." Barça announced revenues of £635M ($839M) for the '16-17 season (which ended on June 30) and projected a 27% increase for the current campaign. That would "mark a fifth consecutive season of record revenue" for the club (SKY SPORTS, 10/11).
Barcelona's profit forecast for '17-18 is €21M ($24.9M) after taxes. It will be the club's seventh straight year making a profit. Since '10, the sum of the club's annual profits totals €175M ($207.4M). The '16-17 season was the first time Barcelona surpassed the €700M ($830M) revenue barrier. Barcelona's €18.1M after-tax profit was slightly lower than the €21M in profit that was forecast due to an increase in corporate taxes paid (
Barcelona). MARCA reported Barcelona's '17-18 budget forecasts more revenue than any other club in Europe. Below is a list of the highest '17-18 revenue projections in Europe:
1. Barcelona: €897M ($1.06B)
2. Real Madrid: €690.3M ($818M)
3. ManU: €655M ($776M)
4. Bayern Munich: €570M ($676M)
5. Man City: €548M ($650M) (MARCA, 10/11).
SHAKEUP CONTINUES: In Barcelona, Fernando Polo reported following the recent departures of Albert Soler and Raúl Sanllehí, Grau will focus on player signings, trades and contracts, as well as the club's relationship with UEFA and the European Club Association. Barcelona hired Jordi Joly, who previously worked for the city of Barcelona, to "cover the areas that Grau can no longer oversee" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 10/11). Polo also reported Barcelona is hoping to reach a deal for a naming rights agreement for Camp Nou in early '18 (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 10/11).
