Why didn't Lionel Messi play for free at Barca?
The Argentine agreed to a 50 per cent pay cut but Laporta suggested it could have gone further
Lionel Messi not renewing his contract at Barcelona is still on the forefront of minds in Catalonia, after Joan Laporta spoke on Friday and said he would have liked Messi to play for free.
Barcelona offered him a 50% pay cut and the player immediately accepted said Laporta.
Messi was not present at meetings with his father there representing him but said he would have been willing to accept less money still but the club did not ask him to. “I did everything I could,” he said.
However there were a lot of nerves in the final stages of negotiations. Eventually Barcelona withdrew their offer as it was not enough of a cut to work in terms of FFP and Messi left for PSG.
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