Lionel Messi’s future is as clear as mud. The former Barcelona captain and free agent is currently at the Copa America with his beloved Argentina, preparing to take on former teammate Neymar’s Brazil in the final on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro. Back in Catalonia, Joan Laporta is scrambling to keep him.
The crux of the issue is that La Liga have introduced a salary cap Barcelona are struggling to meet. They currently need to cut about €200m from their wage bill to fulfil the conditions laid down by Javier Tebas, and that’s before they find the funds to renew Messi’s significantly expensive contract.
Speaking with journalists on Thursday, Tebas revealed that there’s no flexibility to be afforded to Barcelona to help them keep Messi, La Liga’s prized asset. He did maintain that he sees the Argentine to be more likely to stay at Camp Nou than leave, however, adding that should he join Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain it would mean financial doping has truly permeated European football.
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