Barcelona's leader Lionel Messi, whose contract is due to expire this summer, is still in talks to renew his contract. Meanwhile, the team's three captains, Busquets, Piqué and Roberto, as well as Griezmann, are all facing ultimatums. Laporta has asked them to make the difficult choice between taking a pay cut and returning to the team.
This season, Pique and Busquets are firmly in the starting XI, with Griezmann starting most of the time, while Roberto has been suffering from frequent injuries. According to Sport Internazionale, Laporta offered them the option of returning to the team or taking a pay cut after weighing up all the factors.
Of those four players, Griezmann is the only one who could be sold for a high price. While the 30-year-old has performed moderately well in a big-space counter-attacking system, he hasn't been a standout performer for Barcelona, in large part because of his positional overlap with Lionel Messi. Pique and Busquets have been decent but are getting on in age. Roberto's contract expires next summer and he is 29 years old, making it difficult for Barcelona to sell him at a high price.
If they all refuse to take a pay cut, Barcelona could face a worst-case scenario of losing all four captains this summer. If Messi refuses to extend his contract and chooses to join Paris or Manchester City, and Pique, Busquets and Roberto choose to stay, then Laporta will face the heavy task of building a new, young team ......
