Up until this day, the thought of watching Barcelona playing a home game anywhere but at Camp Nou seemed crazy, but Joan Laporta has proven everyone wrong after announcing his intention to have Los Blaugranas playing their home games away from home, just like Real Madrid did over the past eighteen months.
Speaking in an interview with RAC1, president Joan Laporta admitted that, even if the team's finances are not in their best shape, the project to renovate Camp Nou Stadium may still go on, and if the board approves it, then Los Culés will be forced to play their home games elsewhere.
"The first and third floors will have to be re-built. During the first year, we will be able to welcome fans and build at the same time. The project is intended to last three years, but I believe it will take us four. The stadium's maximum capacity will rise to 110,000 fans," Laporta said.
According to Laporta, the main idea would be to play games at Johan Cruyff Estadi, but there might be one more option that could welcome more fans in the meantime.
"When the construction is going on, the idea is to play our games at Johan Cruyff Estadi. It would only be one season. We would aim to welcome 50,000 fans, and our season ticket holders would have to rotate. The option to play at Montjuic Stadium is there, but I'd prefer to play at the Johan Cruyff," Laporta added.
The interview concluded with Laporta sharing his excitement about this project, which could benefit both the city and the club for years to come.
"The previous project is now obsolete, there were some changes and all of them wer to improve the project. It is spectacular. I got goosebumps when I saw it for the first time. It could have a positive effect for the city, especially if we want to host one more edition of the Olympic Games. It would also become an icon for the city in terms of downtime and entertainment,"Laporta said.
Laporta shares details on how Messi playing for free at Camp Nou was pitched
The Blaugrana president shared a few more details on Lionel Messi's exit, and in an attempt to help the team's finances, how some within the board believed in the possibility of having him play for free at Camp Nou this year.
"Messi will go down in history as the best player ever, and I'd like to preserve that idea. All signs indicate that he received an offer from PSG before he left Barcelona. We were made aware that he had received a big offer. When it came down to making a decision, we thought about doing the best for Barcelona. At one point, I hoped he made the decision to play for us for free, but honestly you could not expect a player of his level to come up with such a solution. It was wishful thinking, to say the least," Laporta concluded.
