On August 8 in the Beijing time zone, a much-anticipated La Liga pre-season warm-up match, Barcelona vs. Juventus in the Gamble Cup, is about to take place. And on this very day, at a press conference, a bombshell news came out: Barcelona will reach an agreement with the soul of the team, Lionel Messi, to extend his contract!
According to journalist Alfredo Martínez, Messi is set to extend his contract with Barcelona for another five years with a total salary of €200 million. The figure, while staggering, seems reasonable when compared to Messi's talent and influence.
However, Barcelona's path to renewing Messi's contract is not a straight one. The biggest challenge is not the length of the contract or the player's salary, but how to effectively reduce the payroll and eliminate redundant players.
Griezmann, Dembele, Coutinho, Pjanic, Umtiti, Langerle ...... These players cover Barcelona's forward line, midfield and backline, and not only are they expensively paid, but they don't contribute much to the team.
Injury-prone and in-form Dembele and Coutinho are as stubborn as a rock, Pjanic was originally traded with Artur and Juventus to balance finances, and Umtiti and Langré are no longer ideal candidates for the center back position despite their high salaries.
Despite Griezmann's decent performances, Barcelona had hoped to exchange him for Atletico's Saur to get rid of Griezmann's high salary burden. However, the deal eventually fell through as Atletico were also unable to afford the salary demanded by Griezmann.
But according to journalist Gerard Romero's analysis, even if Griezmann stays, Messi's extension to Barcelona will no longer be a hindrance as long as the following three conditions are met at the same time.
One, Barcelona sells Braithwaite and gains at least 15 million euros.
Brathwaite's contract expires in June 2024 and the player himself does not want to return voluntarily. Daily Sport claim that West Ham United are willing to offer €15 million to bring in Blythwaite, but the two sides have yet to agree on personal terms.
Second, Pjanic and Umtiti return to the team, or take a pay cut if they don't.
Pjanic earns €8.5 million a year and Umtiti earns a whopping €12 million a year. Both players are useless for Barcelona to keep, and there is no hope of recovering the transfer fee, which will immediately grant them free agency unless the players agree. However, both have made it clear that they are not considering returning to the team, as they are unwilling to give up their high salaries or take a pay cut to stay in the team.
Pjanic is currently being linked with Juventus, but unless Juventus are unable to bring in Locatelli or sell Ramsey for the right price, Juventus won't be in demand for Pjanic. According to Torino Sport, Barcelona are willing to let Pjanic return to the team for free, but Juventus only want to lease him for free and ask Barcelona to bear part of his salary. Pjanic wants a severance package if Barcelona do not continue to cover his salary.
The situation is even more complicated for Umtiti, who has agreed to return to the team but has asked to join a top team, according to Daily Sport. In recent weeks, Barcelona have received offers from three teams for Umtiti, but those teams are not interested in the French center back.
Three or four captains agreed to take a pay cut.
At present, this condition is progressing most smoothly. The four captains, Busquets, Piqué, Alba, and Roberto, with veteran captain Messi having already made an example of a pay cut, Piqué and Busquets have finally agreed to a pay cut. Roberto is willing to continue negotiations with the team. Alba, although somewhat reluctant, had to compromise if he did not want to return to the team or be put in the stands like Moriba.
