English Premier League
Barcelona plan to copy Real Madrid’s lucrative academy transfer model
Barcelona are preparing to follow Real Madrid’s example in the transfer market by retaining a share of the future value of players developed through their academy, according to a report by Cadena SER.
Real Madrid have invested heavily during this summer’s transfer window as they seek to build a squad capable of helping Jose Mourinho win back both the Spanish league title and the Champions League. The scale of that spending has been supported in part by the substantial income generated through the club’s youth system.
The Spanish club have recovered almost €200m this summer from the sales of players currently in their squad, as well as from transfers involving footballers in whose registration rights Real Madrid still retain a 50% share.
That income could increase further. Jacobo Ramon, who is expected to move to Como, and Sergio Arribas, who is at Almeria, are both anticipated to generate sizeable fees. The approach has been described as an innovative model that has delivered significant financial returns for Real Madrid.
Barcelona now want to adopt a similar strategy.
The Catalan club recognise the quality of the players produced by La Masia and intend to make greater use of that talent to strengthen their finances. Cadena SER reports that Barcelona will now seek to keep 50% of the rights to future sales of academy graduates who leave the club.
The first example is expected to be Jofre Torrents, with the young full-back set to join Ajax.
Torrents is expected to move on loan with an option for Ajax to buy him for €5m. Should that clause be activated and the player remain permanently in Amsterdam, Barcelona would retain 50% of his future transfer rights. The agreement would also give the Catalan club the option to re-sign him for €20m.
Barcelona’s intention is for this arrangement to become standard practice whenever one of their home-grown players is sold.
The policy could provide the club with an additional source of income over the medium term. It would also give Barcelona a route to bring back players who develop into stars after leaving, should the club decide that they want them to return.
The strategy represents a change in the way Barcelona plans to manage the financial value of its academy. Rather than allowing a departing player’s full future value to leave with them, the club would preserve a stake in any subsequent transfer while maintaining a potential route back to the first team.
Real Madrid’s current summer income has shown how profitable that approach can be. Barcelona now hope that La Masia can provide a comparable economic benefit, beginning with the proposed move involving Torrents and Ajax.
