WHY FC BARCELONA WANTS TO REPLACE QATAR AIRWAYS AS THEIR SPONSOR

Barcelona have engaged Creative Artists Agency to find them a shirt sponsor who are prepared to pay around the record-breaking £52million a year that Manchester United receive from Chevrolet. 

The Catalan giants’ current kit deal with Qatar Airways is worth around £26m a year and runs out this summer. 

A renewed contract of £48m annually was mooted last October but talks broke down. 

There is pressure from members for Barcelona to drop the name of Qatar with a demonstration about workers’ conditions there taking place outside the club’s last AGM.

CAA, whose European sports arm was set up by former Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon, have a growing commercial business that includes acting for Jose Mourinho and Harry Kane.