Talks to defer Barca players' wages extended until next Wednesday
The club need to reach an agreement with the players as soon as possible
As revealed by SPORT, Barcelona and representatives of the first-team squad and other club employees have agreed to extend the period to find an agreement over wage deferrals. The original deadline was Nov. 5.
NEXT WEEK
In concrete, all parties have agreed for two more meetings to take place, on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. The idea is that the negotiation period will then end, regardless of whether or not there's a definitive agreement.
Remember that the players and the other employees are negotiating separately. Despite that, there cannot be an agreement with the employees and not the players. Or vice-versa.
That's how bBarça have wanted it from the start. It was the players that asked for separate negotiations to the club's other 540 employees.
DIFFERENCES
Negotiations to reduce or defer wages for the first team players are complex because not all players are in the same position.
A clear example is Lionel Messi. He has a deal until June 30, 2021, and is on a huge salary. If he doesn't accept an extended deal with payments deferred, as Gerard Pique already has done, for example, it could end up in court.
If Messi extends his deal by two years, the problem wouldn't be as serious. Due to the special impact that Messi's annual salary has, this case has its own life. It's enough to say that Messi ends more than double the rest of the employees at the club earn, not inc. professionals. For that reason, the decision the Barça captain makes will be key to negotiations.
OTHERS, CLOSER
Next week will see what players follow the path of Pique, Lenglet, Ter Stegen and De Jong, who all extended their contracts while deferring payments. It appears more than one of the 13 players represented in the negotiations are ready to accept similar deals.
Barça, meanwhile, believe legally they would be able to apply ERTE's (wage reductions) due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on revenue. However, they're not talking about cutting salaries, but paying them later.
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