Barcelona has made it obvious that they want to re-sign their star player Lionel Messi this summer after his contract with PSG expires this June. However, the Catalan club’s financial difficulties are of genuine concern here.
Lionel Messi has to accept a 75% pay cut if the player wishes to rejoin his former club. The player’s contract with PSG is coming to an end, as he has decided to not renew his contract with the French club.
Barcelona is making cuts in payments to the players to comply with the League’s strict Fair Play Rules. It was the same registration difficulties that the club had to face which eventually led to Messi’s emotional departure from the club. Furthermore, adding to the financial crisis the La Liga board has decided to reject registering new contracts of Gavi, Ronald Araujo, and Marcos Alonso this season.
The Catalan club is trying its best to minimize its expenditure cost. Furthermore, Gerard Pique‘s retirement from club football in November and the sale of Memphis Depay to Atletico Madrid have also helped the club. To reduce its expenditure further, the club has decided to shut its official TV channel BarcaTV.
If Barcelona can somehow minimize their cost according to the Financial Fair Play rules, then it will be an open door for the player to rejoin his former club.
Why is Lionel Messi leaving PSG?
The last 48 hours have made it clear that Lionel Messi will not renew his contract with PSG. The player had agreed on principle to continue with PSG back in November before the World Cup. However, things have changed dramatically after the player returned from the World Cup.
The last straw broke when the club decided to suspend the player for two weeks after he missed Monday’s training session without permission because of his sponsorship obligations in Saudi Arabia. The club is notoriously famous for letting their players off the hook easily. Many players like Neymar have dodged the bullet of ill-discipline.
🚨 Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season. There are no doubts about that anymore.
Behind the scenes, it’s now understood that Leo’s father Jorge communicated the decision to PSG already one month ago due to the project.
It was the final breaking point. pic.twitter.com/Bwehuvyq1E
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 3, 2023
But this was not the case for the World Cup winner. The club believed that the player already had a lot of liberties compared to other players. Therefore, the club decided to take strict action against Messi to set an example for other players.
Before this incident, it was not clear whether or not the player will leave PSG. But with the recent developments, it is most likely that the player will leave the Ligue 1 club after his contract with them expires in June.
Saudi Arabia offers $400 million-a-year deal
Messi has reportedly received a formal offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. The offer from the Saudi Arabian club is the only formal offer that the player has currently. Furthermore, reports claim Al-Hial has offered the player a jaw-dropping deal of $400 million a year.
The player is currently heavily linked with his boyhood club Barcelona. Furthermore, an interest from Inter Miami has also made rounds in the media. Although, there is no official offer from the MLS club.
🚨 Leo Messi’s camp have already begun negotiations with Saudi club Al-Hilal. 🇸🇦
There is talk of making the World Cup winner the highest paid athlete in history with a salary of £320M-a-year. 🤑
(Source: @TeleFootball) pic.twitter.com/wDZntXTALR
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) May 3, 2023
Lionel Messi is Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambassador. Furthermore, his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Saudi club Al-Nassr back in December 2022. It will be a treat for the fans to see the players coming face-to-face again if Messi decides to sign for Al-Nassr’s rival club.
Lionel Messi’s FC Barcelona contract revealed
The Catalan club is reportedly preparing a two-year contract for the World Cup winner. Although, this contract will be worth only a fraction of his previous pay at the club.
The deal is said to be around 55 million dollars. Which is way less than what was offered to the player by the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. The club is desperate to re-sign their star player after his unfortunate departure from the club back in the summer of 2021.
🚨 Joan Laporta has already prepared the contract that Barcelona will offer Leo Messi: Two-year contract, worth €50m. 🔵🔴
(Source: @sport) pic.twitter.com/gphOEAmZqT
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) May 4, 2023
The player looks determined to leave the French club this summer after the expiry of his contract. Many clubs like Inter- Miami and Al-Hilal are hopping to scoop in and sign the player before Barcelona.