After protracted contract negotiations with their captain, it appears Barcelona are set to keep Lionel Messi after all.
Despite being desperate to leave last summer and even though his contract with the Spanish club has officially expired, Messi has apparently backtracked on his original decision and looks set to sign a new deal.
Reports indicate that the Argentine’s representatives and the club’s officials are putting final touches on the new deal before it is announced.
While Barcelona may be relieved for now, that feeling may be shortlived.
Messi may not be able to play in La Liga unless Barcelona make some drastic changes, according to the league’s President, Javier Tebas.
He suggested that they might not be able to register Messi if they don’t lower their wages.
“Barcelona have exceeded their wage cap. I hope they can keep Messi, but to do so, they will have to make cuts elsewhere. The severity of the situation depends on the resources they are capable of generating.”
He did, however, temper this warning by saying the club may be considered if they work to restructure their wages.
Barcelona’s wages for the season before last was an amount of €671 million, however, that amount was reduced significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
The Spanish top flight’s salary cap for the previous campaign was €382.7 million, with Barcelona given some leeway.
However, they were blocked from signing their main target Memphis Depay as a result, although they have been able to secure his services this summer.