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Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has scheduled meetings with four first-team players in order to create budgetary space in order for the Blaugrana to re-sign Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.
As reported by Daily Mirror Football, Messi is now expected to depart Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires at the end of the current season.
Barcelona remain eager to acquire the 36-year-old World Cup winner, who turns 36 this summer. However, this may be difficult given their ongoing financial difficulties.
The Argentine sensation signed a two-year contract with the French club as a free agent in the summer of 2021. Messi’s contract renewal is no longer a priority for the club, which is now planning to develop its team without him.
Barcelona Must Reduce Spending by 200 Million Before Messi Move
In April, Barcelona transfer officials verified Messi had been contacted about a possible return to the Camp Nou. There is also a Saudi Arabian offer on the table for the Argentine icon, but he prefers to remain in Europe.
Big-name arrivals at Camp Nou are improbable if there are no departures first. As reported by Sport in December, the Catalan club must reduce its salary expenditures from €600 million to €400 million for the upcoming season in order to enroll new players and sign new contracts.
The retirement of Gerard Pique and the departure of club commander Sergio Busquets this summer has reduced this figure. It is believed, however, that at least four more first-team squad members will need to be released before new contracts – for both existing and new players – can be registered.
Photo by Icon Sport
There is an agreement in place to sign Spain international defender Inigo Martinez, whose Athletic Bilbao contract expires in June, and Barca are also hoping to sign Ilkay Gundogan.
The central midfielder is reported to be content at Manchester City, but he is open to a move to the La Liga champions this summer due to his own contractual ambiguity. Discussions are currently taking place between the two clubs.
In addition to any summer acquisitions, Barcelona must also register new contracts for Gavi and Ronald Araujo. Failure to do so will expose the club to the possibility of losing star players for bargain-basement transfer fees.
The club’s revenue next season will also be reduced because they will not be playing at Camp Nou, meaning they could lose up to €50 million in matchday revenue.
According to a report in the Catalan publication Sport, Xavi intends to inform Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, Franck Kessie, and Jordi Alba that they will not be in his plans for next season as the club looks to free up funds to enhance its squad.
This is despite the fact that Torres and Kessie were only recently signed by the club while Fati remains one of the most talented looking young players in Europe. Alba, on the other hand, has been a great servant of the side and it’s surprising that Barca would push him to depart.
The club won its first La Liga championship in four years last weekend, but they are aware that they must continue to progress after a season of failure in Europe – they were eliminated from the Champions League group stage before losing to Manchester United in the Europa League playoff round.
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