Manchester United considering £61m move for Barcelona defender

There’s excitement among the Barcelona fanbase due to suggestions of a potential Lionel Messi return come this summer.

With the relationship between the 2022 World Cup winner and Paris Saint-Germain at an all-time low, it’s, in fact, a real possibility that Messi will get to don the famous Blaugrana colours once again.

However, until the club hierarchy manages to achieve the seemingly impossible task of meeting La Liga’s financial fair play standards, it’d be wise for the Barca faithful to restrain their excitement.

Barcelona have to lower their wage bill by at least €200m before they can think of adding any other new face, including Messi, to Xavi’s squad.

Giving his thoughts on the club’s pursuit of the Argentina international, La Liga chief Javier Tebas said:

"“His return is now conditional on selling players. I think that Barça will get a good amount from selling players this summer.”"

So there it is. On paper, it’s fairly a simple ask: Sell players before making new signings in order to balance the books. But Barcelona don’t have many players that they can allow without hampering the quality of Xavi’s side.

However, in defence, the Spaniard has managed to get the best out of several players and has the luxury to let one or two leave to make room for spending in the summer.

Andreas Christensen, in particular, has performed well enough to fetch a good fee but isn’t as important as Jules Kounde or Ronald Araujo to the team’s approach.

Manchester United are reported to be interested in the Denmark international, who left Chelsea for Barcelona last summer. According to Fichajes (via The Sun), the Red Devils are willing to offer up to £61m for the centre-back. It is added that United boss Erik ten Hag is really determined to sign Christensen this summer.