In a significant development, it appears that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman may be considering the acquisition of a stake in Barcelona.
Spanish journalist François Gallardo claimed on El Chiringuito that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman plans a massive €10 billion bid to take complete ownership of FC Barcelona and clear its reported €1.45 billion debt as of late 2025.
The club, owned by over 140,000 paying socios who vote on major decisions, has faced backlash against past sale attempts, making any takeover a steep challenge.
While no confirmation exists from Barcelona, Laporta, or Saudi officials, and major outlets remain sceptical, the speculation highlights the club’s ongoing battle to stabilise finances through measures like selling future TV rights.
According to El Chiringuito’s Francois Gallardo, the Saudi Crown Prince is prepared to submit an offer valued at €10 billion to acquire Barcelona.
€10 billion to acquire Barcelona: is this a realistic proposal? Gallardo notes that Barcelona carries a debt exceeding €2.5 billion, which will be challenging to settle.
Considering this, the Saudi Crown Prince is prepared to submit a €10 billion offer to acquire Barcelona, which would theoretically provide him with complete control of the club.
However, such an arrangement is not feasible, particularly for clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, which are governed by their members.
Barcelona, as an organisation, is owned by its members, or socios, who would never permit the club to be acquired by a foreign entity. This point is also emphasised by Gallardo.
Although the Saudi Arabian Investment Fund could, in principle, invest in Barcelona if the club separates its entertainment division, this would not enable PIF to assume control of the club’s daily operations.
A comparable approach is purportedly under consideration by Real Madrid, with Florentino Perez receptive to separating the club’s entertainment division from its football operations and permitting investment proposals for the entertainment sector.
This may represent the sole opportunity for the PIF to also invest in Barcelona. However, aside from that, it is nearly inconceivable for Barcelona to be entirely acquired by a foreign entity, let alone PIF.
