Barcelona are preparing to restructure the way they handle academy graduates, with the club aiming to follow Real Madrid’s increasingly profitable approach to player development and future transfers.
According to a report published on Sunday, the Catalan club intends to retain a 50% share of the rights to players developed at La Masia when they leave Barcelona. The policy is designed to create an additional stream of income over the medium term, while also giving the club a route to bring back any former academy player who later establishes himself as a star.
The plan is understood to begin with the expected departure of young full-back Jofre Torrents, who is set to join Ajax.
Torrents is expected to move on loan with a purchase option worth 5m euros. If Ajax activate that clause and the player completes a permanent move, Barcelona will retain 50% of his rights. The agreement will also include a buy-back option allowing Barcelona to re-sign him for 20m euros.
That arrangement is expected to become the standard position for academy players sold by Barcelona in the future.
The information was reported by Spanish radio station Cadena SER, which said Barcelona had recognised the quality of the players produced by La Masia and wanted to make greater financial use of that system.
The proposed model mirrors a strategy that has helped Real Madrid generate significant income from their youth academy. Despite investing heavily in the current summer transfer market, the Spanish club has recovered almost 200m euros through the sale of existing players and transfers involving footballers whose rights are still partly controlled by Real Madrid.
That financial return has helped Real Madrid fund a major recruitment campaign as they seek to provide Jose Mourinho with a squad capable of challenging for both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. The club’s ambition is to regain the Spanish league title and compete for European football’s biggest prize with a team built around some of the best players available.
Real Madrid’s academy model has also continued to produce potential future income. The club is still expected to receive substantial sums from the anticipated moves of Jacobo Ramon to Como and Sergio Arribas to Almeria.
The combined value of those transactions has reinforced the belief that the system can be both innovative and highly profitable. Real Madrid’s ability to benefit financially from players who come through its academy has allowed the club to strengthen its squad while continuing to generate revenue from graduates who move elsewhere.
Barcelona now want to establish a similar mechanism around La Masia. Rather than losing all future control when an academy product leaves, the club would preserve a financial interest and retain the option of bringing the player back if his career develops significantly.
The approach is intended to provide Barcelona with extra income in the years ahead, while offering a degree of protection should a former academy player eventually become established at the highest level.
