Lionel Messi must take paycut to extend his Barcelona stay

Financial crisis at Barcelona might affect the future of Lionel Messi.

Potential presidential candidate for FC Barcelona, Toni Freixa had stated that the club are going to face problems in keeping with the wages of club captain Lionel Messi. The Spaniard has also stated that if the Argentine is to extend his stay at the Nou Camp any further, he will have to take a pay cut and then extend his contract in the future.

More from Everything Barca

• FC Barcelona tracking Belgian Wonderkid
• FC Barcelona vs Betis Player Ratings
• Barça boss Xavi to get contract extension
• FC Barcelona planning swoop for Arsenal midfielder
• Barcelona interested in €30 million wonderkid

33-year-old Lionel Messi had previously handed in a transfer request in the 2020 summer transfer window which had shocked the whole footballing world. However, the move did not happen as the La Liga organization passed an official statement that a club will have to pay Messi’s 700 million euro transfer release clause in order to take the player away from Spain. Hence, the Argentine stayed for another year without any guarantee of contract extension in order to not take his beloved club to court and ruin the relationship with them.

However, potential presidential candidate for the Blaugrana, Toni Freixa has stated that in no way can Barca continue to fund Messi’s weekly wages beyond this year. The club is in huge financial jeopardy now due to some irresponsible moves by the previous president Josep Maria Bartomeu. Bartomeu resigned as the president of the club voluntarily as the Vote of No Confidence called for his exit.

The Catalans are in some serious financial debt, 700 million to 1 billion euros according to multiple top tier reports. The horrible state of the club can lead to some serious permanent changes which cannot be undone if the club’s board moves forward with the same strategy.

Messi has been heavily linked to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City since the whole fiasco in the 2020 summer window and he’s reportedly pushing for a move in January. A reunion with his former Catalan boss at the City of Manchester Stadium will be ideal, especially with his fellow Argentine teammate and best friend Sergio Aguero. A move to Manchester will help the Argentine be a part of a sure and definite project and he will be playing in Guardiola’s system again in which he has thrived the best.

With Messi already 33 years of age and not having many more playing days left, it remains to be seen which direction the Argentine maestro chooses to go.

Will Barca remain at the Nou Camp beyond 2021?