In a tense pre-season showdown, Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the summer when they lost 1-2 to Red Bull Salzburg. Off the pitch, however, Barcelona were greeted with happy news. According to Daily Sport, La Liga has signed a partnership agreement with CVC Capital Partners, which will invest up to 2.7 billion euros in La Liga, of which Barcelona will share 280 million euros, which will significantly reduce the team's financial burden.
Of this investment, 70% will be used for infrastructure, 15% will be used for debt restructuring and to cover losses from the epidemic, and another 15% will be used to boost the income of the club's staff. With this funding, Barcelona's salary cap will increase by 40.5 million euros.
In response to CVC's capital injection, financial expert Marc Menchén revealed in an interview with Marca: "With this amount of money, together with the money obtained through player transfers and salary cuts, Barcelona will be in a position to sign Messi."
Coincidentally, Messi returned to Barcelona alone today, which the Spanish media interpreted as a signal to renew his contract. Daily Sport even reported in the front page headline, Messi is very likely to complete the contract extension with Barcelona today.
According to media reports, Messi and Barcelona have long agreed on the terms of the contract extension. Messi's new contract will be in the form of 2+2+1, the player can choose his own future after two years. In the new contract, Messi's liquidated damages will be as high as 600 million euros, the annual salary is reduced by 50%, and the annual salary after tax is only 20 million euros, much lower than Neymar.
It can be said that Messi has made a compromise on the issue of contract renewal, and he very much hopes to end up in Barcelona. The reason for the delay between the two parties to extend the contract is entirely due to the issue of Barcelona's salary cap. Now, with the increase of the salary cap, Laporta also has the space to renew the contract with Messi.
This weekend, Barcelona will face Juventus in the Gamba Cup. Numerous media outlets have speculated that Laporta may make the announcement before the Gambo Cup as a way to boost the team's morale.
