ADELAIDE Uniteds Barca-connected boss Josep Gombau says he is in an ideal position to help lure Barcelona to SA for a Reds clash at Adelaide Oval next year.

Barcelona charges about $3 million for friendly clashes - equalling the estimated cost of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong for appearance fees at the Tour Down Under.

‘’I have the right (Barca) connections,’’ Gombau said.

‘’I can speak with the club with the persons that are involved with these kinds of games but of course to bring Barcelona here you need a lot of money because their fee is high.

‘’It’s something that Adelaide United need to think (about) and if they need my help I can give them that.’’

But the SA government would have to lobby extremely hard for Barca alongside the Queensland, NSW, Victorian and WA governments.

Sources have revealed Barcelona officials have seen proposals to visit Australia for the past two years before declaring Italian giant Juventus is a very good chance to tour next year.

Andrew Daniels, chief executive of the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority has endorsed the opportunity to host a major event at the redeveloped stadium next year.

“The redeveloped Adelaide Oval has been designed to be a world-class, multipurpose stadium and we will be welcoming opportunities to host international events,” stated Daniels.

But with an ageing Armstrong generating record figures for the Tour Down Under having the world’s most spectacular player Lionel Messi at his peak and a team laden with 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2012 stars in SA should be an even bigger windfall.

Nearly 200,000 fans visited Stadium Australia, Allianz Stadium and the MCG to watch Manchester United and Liverpool face the Foxtel A-League All Stars and Melbourne Victory respectively last month.

And a Manchester United training session which managed to attract 22,000 paying customers to Allianz Stadium before facing the All Stars may help convince SA government accountants that Adelaide Oval’s new 53,000 capacity shouldn’t hamper that state’s ability to turn Barca’s visit into a fiscal success.

Manchester United’s presence in Sydney saw a $16 million injection in the NSW economy with about 20,000 interstate and overseas visitors visiting Sydney to see the Red Devils.

Reports also suggest that about 30,000 interstate and overseas guests arrived in Melbourne to watch Liverpool at the MCG.

Originally published as Gombau can draw Barca to SA