Barca find sponsors to pay Messi's salary
According to the Catalan radio channel RAC 1, Barca is working with key sponsors to sign Messi without breaking the Financial Fair Play (FFP).
These investors can cover most of the salary costs to help Barca recruit Messi. In return, they will be committed to sharing the profits from the commercial activities that the Argentine star creates if he returns to the Catalan club. Barca will not pay a transfer fee in this case, because Messi's contract with PSG will expire at the end of June.
According to Diario Sport, Barca is confident that they can reach a suitable agreement with the parties involved, and both the Catalan club and Messi's side are "very optimistic" about the possibility of reuniting when the 2022-2023 season ends.
Messi currently earns $3.7 million a month at PSG. Barca cannot meet this number. But also according to RAC 1, the Argentine superstar is willing to reduce his salary to promote the transfer back to the club he has been with for 21 years, before going to PSG in the summer of 2021.
According to Veronica Brunati - an Argentine journalist who is considered close to Messi, there are three things that affect the negotiations between the 36-year-old superstar and Barca. The first is the legal barrier, when La Liga President Javier Tebas said Barca will be banned from participating in the summer 2023 transfer market due to failing to meet financial requirements. The team will have to raise more than 200 million USD to comply with the rules of the tournament and be allowed to recruit new players.
The second is to find new sponsors. Last year, Barca activated three economic levers and sold the name Camp Nou to music company Spotify for $ 236 million. But Barca currently plays without a sleeve sponsor, so they can seek sponsorship in this position from the 2023-2024 season.
Even if it is possible to raise enough money, sell enough players to register Messi, the final decision still belongs to the Barca leadership. Messi's brother, Matias Messi, once criticized Barca fans for not being fierce enough in keeping the Argentine star and wanted them to protest to get rid of current president Joan Laporta.
But Forbes magazine called this a "great" deal that Laporta - which is under a lot of pressure - desperately needs. Keeping Messi was once one of the goals when Laporta ran for president in early 2021. However, after taking power, he reversed what he had stated, letting the Argentine star join PSG on a free transfer. . In March 2022, Laporta also said that he did not regret this decision, because Barca had financial problems and could not renew with Messi.
On March 31, Barca Vice President Rafa Yuste admitted to working with Lionel Messi's side to discuss the possibility of bringing him back to play for the club. According to El Confidencial, Xavi is angry when he thinks that these statements could threaten Barca's short-term stability at a time when the club is aiming for the La Liga championship and the King's Cup. But on the other hand, the Spanish coach has also repeatedly said that Camp Nou "opens the door to welcome Messi".
Messi's contract with PSG will expire in June 2023, and he has the choice to extend for a year or not. Former strikers Thierry Henry and Sergio Aguero both want Messi to return and retire at Barca, after witnessing the 35-year-old star being booed by PSG fans.
