Joan Laporta to Announce Intention to Run for Barcelona Presidency

Joan Laporta is set to announce he is running for the Barcelona presidency, according to reports in Spain.

Barça will be holding elections on January 24 to decide Josep Maria Bartomeu's successor. The much maligned Bartomeu resigned as the club's chief back in October, following considerable pressure from players, supporters and fellow board members.

According to RAC1 (via Marca), Laporta is keen on the position and will announce his candidature in the coming days. The 58-year-old is a lawyer by trade and also served as a member of the Catalan Parliament between 2010 and 2012.

If he's victorious, it will be his second spell as Barça president. His first came between 2003 and 2010 when the club enjoyed a period of great success following several barren years. Laporta appointed Frank Rijkaard and then Pep Guardiola as manager, both of whom performed fantastically, winning a spate of major honours.

Despite his previous success, he is not considered the favourite to win. That honour goes to Victor Font, while Toni Freixa, Agusti Benedito, Jordi Farre, Lluis Fernandez Ala, Xavier Vilajoana and Pere Riera are also in the running.

Whoever takes over from Bartomeu will inherit a chaotic situation. 2020 has been an annus horribilis for Barcelona. In the last six months, they surrendered last season's La Liga to Real Madrid, been humiliated 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and endured significant off-field turmoil.

Lionel Messi threatened to depart the club in the summer, while Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic and several others did end up moving on. Despite these high profile departures, Barça's wage bill remains astronomical. The club are keen to agree a wage cut to stave off the threat of bankruptcy, but this has not been achieved as of yet.