The factors that condition Lionel Messi's contract renewal with Barça

Lionel Messi's future seems to be with Barcelona. All information points in the same direction: the player wants to stay and Barça want to keep him. However. for that to happen, the club must find a solution to their financial problems. If they don't, they can't register Messi, whose renewal is conditioned by various fiscal aspects.

The newspaper Expansion has spoken with the financial adviser Ramón Álvarez de Mon, who shared his insight into the hurdles facing Barça as they try and push Messi's new deal through.

"Barça must generate €400 million in capital gains and savings on salaries," the expert explained.

The cited media assured that La Liga could oppose any contract offered by Barça that is for two years as a player but paid over five (as if he was an ambassador), given it would be a way around the league's financial controls and fair play.

Meanwhile, the tax office could also have something to say.

"If Messi is paid for two years as a player and from the third year as an ambassador in Miami, he would be earning for what he generated as a player at Barça, but he wouldn't be a resident, so he wouldn't be paying tax in Spain or he would be paying less than residents, which could lead to a fraud case," added Álvarez de Mon.

NO ROOM FOR ERROR

He continued: "The club and Messi have previous in this sense (with Messi's last tax case) and in the case of a potential sentence, he could end up in prison and the club in dissolution, which is the punishment for companies in this case."

In addition, Expansion also point out that clubs that exceed their salary limit can only 'sign' for 25 percent of the amount saved. That's to say, if Barça sell a player for 40 million euros, they can only spend 10 million.