A bombshell report reveals Barcelona's own technical experts rated Camp Nou constructors Limak as the worst option for the job. Club management overruled the 'non-binding' report, prioritising a deadline that has since been missed, with significant delays now hitting the iconic stadium's reopening and contractual penalties going unenforced.
Barca's own experts rated Limak's bid as the worst
Barcelona awarded the €960 million (£832m/$1.12 billion) Camp Nou renovation contract to Turkish construction firm Limak despite the company receiving the lowest score in a technical evaluation conducted by the club's own expert team, according to a bombshell report from . The team of engineers, architects, and financiers rated Limak's bid below 50 out of 100, placing it last behind consortiums led by Ferrovial and FCC. The report cited Limak's inability to justify its proposed construction schedule and its requirement of around €200 million in initial financing, compared to just €12 million requested by its competitors.
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Despite the damning assessment from their internal experts, Barcelona's Espai Barça management, led by director Joan Sentelles, dismissed the report as "consultative and non-binding." Two days after the technical team's evaluation, a final binding report prepared by Sentelles and Technical Office Director Lluis Moya declared Limak the winner. The club has officially insisted that "the opinion that prevails and is legally binding is the assessment issued by the senior manager." This decision caused significant internal strife, leading to the resignation of Jordi Llaurado, the board director in charge of Espai Barca, who felt the process lacked transparency.
'Impossible' deadline proves the decisive factor
The key reason for overriding the technical advice was Limak's aggressive timeline. The Turkish firm was the only bidder to guarantee a return to a partially reopened Camp Nou by November 2024, a deadline that competing firms, with extensive stadium-building experience, described to the club as "impossible." The final report acknowledged that the tight timeframe was the primary "factor that influenced the contractors' assessments." However, as of October 13, 2025, the project is already 317 days behind schedule, with the partial return now not expected until mid-November 2025 and the final completion pushed back to the 2027-28 season, validating the initial fears of Limak's competitors.
Club not enforcing penalty clauses despite significant delays
The contract between Barcelona and Limak contains specific financial penalties for each day of delay. However, the club has so far failed to execute these sanctions. Club officials have attributed the delays to external factors, such as a lack of materials. This contradicts a clause in the contract, which explicitly states that "any delay due to a lack or delay in the supply of materials" is the contractor's responsibility and not grounds for an extension. The contract also stipulates that unilateral termination is possible if penalties exceed 10% of the total budget – around €96m.