Uncertainty in Barcelona: Lionel Messi may be left without a team in 48 hours

Lionel Messi is in South America playing the Copa América (Efe)
Lionel Messi is in South America playing the Copa América (Efe)

While Lionel Messi leads the Argentine team in the Copa América, in which today they will play the last day of the group stage against Bolivia, in Barcelona they continue to defoliate daisies waiting for the Argentine to sign the renewal contract.

This Wednesday, June 30, the sports bond that exists between the Barça entity and the captain will expire, and everything seems to indicate that the rosarino’s signature will not arrive until his commitment in the competition with his national team ends.

Although the club gave indications that the idol culé will sign a new contract, still nothing is officially sealed and the final hours begin to cause nervousness in Spain and optimism in the powerful in Europe who intend to incorporate him into their ranks.

Laporta assured that, "Messi's new contract is going well, but it's not done yet" (Eph)
Laporta assured that, “Messi’s new contract is going well, but it is not done yet” (Efe)

“If you ask me what I would like, I would say that the sooner (I sign), the better”, recognized the president of Barcelona Joan Laporta in a recent interview with the Catalan newspaper The vanguard. As in each of the official statements he gave, the Barça manager is confident that his emblem player will continue being the key to the sports project that is developing.

While everything is silent on the player’s side, the institution has been giving signs that they will reach an agreement. One of the most notorious was announce before the start of the Copa América the hiring of Sergio Kun Omen. A key signing for next season and that was carried out not only because of the scoring qualities of the former City, but also for the great friendship he has with The flea, with whom this Monday he will again share the lead in the selected one.

“Kun tells him every day: ‘Sign that we will play together'”, Laporta revealed in mid-June, although at the same time it confirmed that although the negotiation “is going well, it is not there yet.”

The signing of Agüero could influence the renewal of Messi with Barcelona (Efe)
The signing of Agüero could influence the renewal of Messi with Barcelona (Efe)

The president culé began to print his stamp after taking office in October of last year. Until now made four signings and assured that more will arrive, all with the aim of creating a competitive and winning sports project, a concept that Lionel Messi himself was crying out for especially during the previous management, led by Josep Maria Bartomeu.

However, the leadership will have to do everything possible to balance the figures in an environment in which debts and salary limits prevail: “Barcelona, ​​with the wage bill it has today, is exceeded. In order to incorporate Messi, there will have to be reductions in player salaries “, he warned Javier Tebas, president of La Liga.

“Between salaries and amortizations we have a magnitude of 650 million euros, which is a figure greater than the total income of the club. These salaries in the market are now out of date, and it is difficult to reach agreements with other clubs because the salaries of Barça players are incomparable with those of other clubs. As for sales, unfortunately there will be few ”, explained Laporta about the topic.

Lionel Messi's contract with Barcelona ends on June 30 (Reuters)
Lionel Messi’s contract with Barcelona ends on June 30 (Reuters)

Despite the financial situation, Barcelona has already made it clear that they want Lionel Messi to continue at the club and they will do everything in their power to accommodate the numbers. From getting rid of players with high salaries, as in the case of Samuel Umtiti, to proposals for salary reductions like the one that would have been made to Gerard Piqué.

“They are on the way to do it, they have told us about it and we trust that they will.. They are on the right track due to all the efforts that Barça is making to reduce its salary mass. We hope they continue on the right path ”, considers Tebas.

The truth so far is that The Argentine star is 48 hours away from being left without a team and star in a striking episode if the renewal is not made official in the next few days, since could play the quarterfinals with Argentina as a free agent, this being with Bolivia for Group A his last game as a Barcelona player, at least until he stamped his autograph on the documents.

From Spain, in parallel, some local media began to ensure that both the player and the leadership have already reached an agreement after managing to fit your file within the financial rules imposed by the salary limits that the institution must comply with. According to the information circulating in the old continent, The Argentine will renew for two years and will continue to be the captain of Barcelona.

KEEP READING