Barça's high earners will need to agree to a 40% wage cut to facilitate Messi's renewal
The Catalan club needs to reduce its wage bill in order to register Leo Messi for the upcoming LaLiga campaign
According to a report by 'Deportes Cuatro', FC Barcelona would be able to register Leo Messi for the upcoming LaLiga campaign if three of its highest earners agree to a 40% wage cut. Another way for the club to reduce its wage bill would be to sell Antoine Griezmann to another team.
According to the report, if three of Barça's highest earners agree to a 40% wage cut, this would solve the financial problems which are causing so many headaches for president Joan Laporta.
Ideally, Leo Messi's renewal would be facilitated by the departure of Antoine Griezmann. The club's financial problems would be alleviated with the sale of the French forward, and it would also help them to reduce their wage bill.
FC Barcelona does not plan to make a choice between Messi and Griezmann, because the Argentina striker - recently proclaimed Copa América champion - has already been offered a 10-year contract divided into various stages: two further seasons as a Barça player, a spell for a team in the MLS while working as the club's US Ambassador, and a final stint in the club's Department of Football.
More players need to be sold
The key to this operation lies in finding a suitor for Griezmann. The club are already working hard to find potential buyers, and are doing so with the player's approval. The problem is that Griezmann would prefer to return to his former club, Atlético de Madrid, instead of embarking on a new adventure at a different team.
Griezmann's current deal - which has an 800 million euro release clause - runs out in June 2024. He signed a five-year contract with the club in the summer of 2019, after Barcelona paid Atlético de Madrid the amount corresponding to his release clause (120 million euros).
Besides the sales of Todibo, Matheus Fernandes, Trincao, Junior Firpo and Aleñá, Barcelona need to get more players off their books. Or, as per the report by Deportes Cuatro, they would need to persuade three of their highest earners to agree to a 40% wage cut.
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