BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) -- Barcelona president Joan Laporta has flown to China to try to close the club's first shirt sponsorship deal with Chinese authorities, Spanish media has reported.
A delegation from the club was expected to meet Chinese officials in order to put the finishing touches to an agreement that would see the Primera Liga side promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics from next season.
Barcelona-based sports paper El Mundo Deportivo said that if the five-year deal was successfully concluded it would be worth at least $24.65 million a season, with additional bonuses based on results.
After the Olympics the club would then promote the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
"In the last few hours we have received an invitation from the Chinese government," the club's vice-president of marketing and media Marc Ingla told radio station RAC 1.
"The aim is to discuss some final details that we have yet to resolve, but we are ready to make rapid progress too. We may or may not return with an agreement, but what is clear is that the quality and quantities involved in the deal are very important."
Barcelona made a short pre-season tour of China last year and are expected to make a return visit in August. If the shirt deal goes through, it would help boost the club's profile in the lucrative Asian market.
Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona are the only Primera Liga sides who do not carry advertising on their shirts, although Bilbao did promote the Basque regional government during some of their matches in the UEFA Cup this season.
Barcelona are closing in on their first league title in six years. They lead second-placed Real Madrid by six points with four games left to play.
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Barcelona to clinch £100M Beijing deal
tribalfootball.com - May 7, 2005
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is close to clinching a record shirt sponsorship agreement with the Chinese government.
DiarioSport says 'Beijing' will become the first word to appear on Barca's shirt in its 106 year history. Talks on Thursday left negotiations at an advanced stage and yesterday the final details were being ironed out.
The agreement is for five years and worth £20 million-a-year. This could increase to £24 million-a-year based on success.
The deal also involved publicity for Beijing on Barca's website and at the Nou Camp stadium.
Along with Laporta, Barca marketing chief Marc Ingla and finance director Ferran Soriano, make up the three-man negotiating team currently staying at the Beijing World Hotel.
Money is now more important than tradition.
A delegation from the club was expected to meet Chinese officials in order to put the finishing touches to an agreement that would see the Primera Liga side promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics from next season.
Barcelona-based sports paper El Mundo Deportivo said that if the five-year deal was successfully concluded it would be worth at least $24.65 million a season, with additional bonuses based on results.
After the Olympics the club would then promote the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
"In the last few hours we have received an invitation from the Chinese government," the club's vice-president of marketing and media Marc Ingla told radio station RAC 1.
"The aim is to discuss some final details that we have yet to resolve, but we are ready to make rapid progress too. We may or may not return with an agreement, but what is clear is that the quality and quantities involved in the deal are very important."
Barcelona made a short pre-season tour of China last year and are expected to make a return visit in August. If the shirt deal goes through, it would help boost the club's profile in the lucrative Asian market.
Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona are the only Primera Liga sides who do not carry advertising on their shirts, although Bilbao did promote the Basque regional government during some of their matches in the UEFA Cup this season.
Barcelona are closing in on their first league title in six years. They lead second-placed Real Madrid by six points with four games left to play.
____________
Barcelona to clinch £100M Beijing deal
tribalfootball.com - May 7, 2005
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is close to clinching a record shirt sponsorship agreement with the Chinese government.
DiarioSport says 'Beijing' will become the first word to appear on Barca's shirt in its 106 year history. Talks on Thursday left negotiations at an advanced stage and yesterday the final details were being ironed out.
The agreement is for five years and worth £20 million-a-year. This could increase to £24 million-a-year based on success.
The deal also involved publicity for Beijing on Barca's website and at the Nou Camp stadium.
Along with Laporta, Barca marketing chief Marc Ingla and finance director Ferran Soriano, make up the three-man negotiating team currently staying at the Beijing World Hotel.
Money is now more important than tradition.
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