Rakuten

Barcelona signs sponsorship deal with Rakuten

It is one of the biggest football shirt sponsorships yet seen and could make Barcelona wealthier than Real Madrid, currently the world's richest club.

The deal will begin with the 2017-18 season and last for four years.

It will earn the club at least £188m in that time, with more to come if the team wins the Spanish championship or the Champions League.

"This agreement puts us at the forefront of sports club sponsorships, which has always been an objective for the current board of directors," said the Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu.