FC Barcelona enters the New Year with hopes of sports stability, stadium renaissance and monetary prosperity. Joan Laporta's second wish is expected to come true in November, but there is still a lot of work to be done until then by the contractor.

Camp Nou rebuild - what do we know so far?

The first effects of the construction of the new Spotify Camp Nou are already visible to the outside world. The Turkish construction company Limak has cleared the structure of the old surroundings and will attempt to erect a third tier of stands. In addition, the stadium’s base is surrounded by a protective net.

According to the plan given by Barça representatives, the Camp Nou construction site will have changed dramatically by the end of the first half of this year. This has to do with preparing the elements of the external façade in advance, which should streamline the whole process. Some of the supporting columns have already been installed on the west stand. The large pit where the underground car park will be built has been covered with cement.

On the eastern side, planning is still underway for the excavation work, after which construction of the new press room and changing rooms is to begin. According to the project, a new shop is also to be built, part of which is to be visible from street level thanks to windows modelled on the ones in Louvre in Paris. Watch our video about the other Spanish stadium projects.

Take a look at our previous articles on Camp Nou reconstruction:

• The collateral damage of Camp Nou’s renovation - huge financial losses for bar owners
• Camp Nou construction ahead of schedule at the expense of worker exploitation?
• New Camp Nou straight out of the American dream

FC Barcelona's management hopes for more than just sporting success

In an interview with SPORT's editorial team, Blaugrana president Joan Laporta revealed his three wishes for the club for the coming year 2024. Barcelona's management wants more trophies, including the defence of the Spanish league title, which has been impossible to achieve for five years. There will also be a chance for Xavi's players to win the Copa del Rey and domestic Super Cup. A slightly more difficult task will be to win the Champions League, which the Blaugrana team have not managed to win since 2015.

Another of Joan Laporta's dreams is to leave Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys soon and make a dream return to Camp Nou on the scheduled date - November 29. If the pace of work continues, the first team will be able to play their first match at their home on the 125th anniversary of the club's founding.

The FC Barcelona president also mentioned financial dreams. Laporta hopes to realise a budget that, with an expected revenue of €859 million, will give the club a profit of €11 million. The whole plan does not include the use of any 'leverages' much talked about during the changes in the board three years ago.

© Espai Héctor