Barcelona returned to Camp Nou in the 2025/26 season, two years later than planned, resulting in significant financial implications. Club president Joan Laporta acknowledged improvements in financial stabilization but announced plans to request members’ permission to take an additional loan to complete the works.
The team was originally set to be away from Camp Nou for 18 months, returning in November 2024 to coincide with the club’s 125th anniversary. However, construction delays forced Barcelona to continue playing at Montjuïc and their training ground intermittently. Laporta stressed that these delays and costs were beyond the control of both Barcelona and contractor Limak, rejecting ideas of applying penalty clauses.
According to Diari Ara and Diario AS, Barcelona plans to approach Goldman Sachs for a fresh loan after the initial €1.45 billion loan was fully utilized. The club must put this request to a vote during either the General Assembly or an Extraordinary General Assembly of members.
Of the previous loan, €960 million was allocated to remodeling Camp Nou, with €490 million designated for renovation of the surrounding area and the basketball stadium. Work on Camp Nou still requires at least one more year, and the broader Espai Barça project has yet to start.
The club attributes budget overruns of around €300–400 million to recent global crises. Barcelona’s total debt, including the Espai Barça loans, stands at approximately €2.5 billion, with about €1.5 billion classified as long-term debt.
Within the framework of La Liga and UEFA financial regulations concerning debt and salary limits, the additional funding will enable Barcelona to complete its infrastructure projects and maintain financial competitiveness.
