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The Argentine superstar has seen his previous Camp Nou contract expire, but Catalonia remain confident that new terms will be agreed
Lionel Messi is officially a free agent after seeing his contract expire at Barcelona, but with the player wanting to stay put, why are the Catalans struggling to secure a deal – and why can’t they register their new signings ?
Club president Joan Laporta says “everything is on track” while expressing optimism that Messi, who has been linked with players like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, will stay put.
A salary cap is however at the center of the delay in obtaining the signing of the Argentine, as well as the club’s ability to register new players, with Goal explaining the exact reasons for the financial difficulties below.
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Does Messi want to stay at Barça?
Goal can confirm that Messi intends to stay at Camp Nou and is eager to sign a new two-year contract with the club.
Indeed, Barca desperately need their captain and talisman to commit to a new contract which they believe adds to the 21 years they have already spent in Spain with the Catalan giants.
Laporta and his most trusted executives Ferran Reverter and Mateu Alemany are working on a two-year extension for Messi, although financial problems continue to prevent meaningful progress in the talks.
What are the financial problems Barca are facing?
The La Liga giants have been revealed to be € 1.2bn (£ 1.1bn / $ 1.5bn) in debt, making life difficult when it comes to negotiate new contracts and recruit new faces.
However, the main problem with the Messi contract is the salary cap that has been imposed on Barca by La Liga, which currently makes it impossible for the club to strike a deal with the 34-year-old that is in line with his expectations.
In the summer of 2019, for example, Barca had a salary limit of € 671million (£ 577million / $ 796million). In March of this year, due to the pandemic and the management of former President Josep Maria Bartomeu, that figure fell to € 348million (£ 299million / $ 413million)
Moreover, Barca actually ended the season going over the limit, which league chief Javier Tebas will not allow to enter the 2021-22 campaign, meaning player sales are at a premium. fundamental importance.
Indeed, Messi has the status of the highest paid footballer in the world and the Catalans are not keen on lowering his salary, at least in the next two seasons.
And it’s not just Messi’s future that’s affected by the club’s financial woes.
Even summer rookies Eric Garcia, Memphis Depay, Emerson and Sergio Aguero cannot yet be registered with the club until a number of other first-team players are transferred.
Who’s gone and who’s for sale?
Barça was able to unload Jean-Claire Todibo, Nice having signed the central defender who had been loaned to the French club for an initial amount of 8.5 million euros (7 million pounds sterling / 10 million euros).
Konrad de la Fuente, meanwhile, signed for Marseille for 3 million euros and Junior Firpo is set to join Leeds United in a € 15million deal. Matheus Fernandes is another who was written off from payroll after being released on a free transfer.
Francisco Trincão was also cleared to leave on loan to Wolves, with the Premier League club having the option of buying the Portuguese winger.
However, that is not enough with Barca due to move more players in the coming weeks.
New attempts to reduce the club’s payroll have seen them offer to release the two Samuel umtiti and Miralem Pjanic of their contracts, without either fitting into Ronald Koeman’s plans for the future.
Martin braithwaite and Philippe Coutinho, in the meantime, are also available for transfer, with the Catalans ready to listen to the offers.
If Umtiti, Pjanic and Coutinho were all to be relocated, with around 64million euros (£ 55million / $ 76million) gross released, that still wouldn’t be enough to ease the salary cap.
There is hope Tebas can ease the restrictions although, speaking in June, he insisted there would be no exceptions to Barca’s salary limit. He said: “We cannot establish a rule for Messi or for [Erling] Haaland. The rules are what they are.
“The managers know this perfectly well and that will not change. Barca’s efforts to reduce its payroll are on the right track but there will be no special rule. The rules must be respected, we will not go. change them. We’re not going to make an ad hoc rule for Messi. “
What did Laporta say?
Laporta said The transistor when asked for an update on Messi’s long-standing contract saga: “We want Messi to stay and Leo wants to stay, everything is on track.
“We have the question of fair play, we are in the process of finding the best solution for both parties.”
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