Barcelona understand that signing Lionel Messi is not going to be easy but the management has devised a clear strategy to achieve what everyone is eagerly waiting for.
Despite the obvious hurdles, there is a sense of optimism among the management that the move is quite possible. But before launching an official enquiry, SPORT says that Barcelona plan to approach this transfer in three steps.
La Liga’s approval
The first and utmost step for Barcelona in this negotiation is going to be La Liga’s approval. For that, Barcelona executives are expected to meet with La Liga to discuss the feasibility of re-signing Messi amidst their Financial Fair Play woes.
Javier Tebas has time and again specified that Barcelona must reduce €200 million from their salary bill. At Barcelona, Mateu Alemany and his staff have been working on reducing the expenses that would aid them in complying with the wage limit. For that, SPORT says next week’s meeting is going to be extremely crucial.
The initial plan for Barcelona is to generate income from player sales. On the other hand, the team will also cut back in other areas in order to match the figures imposed by La Liga. It is expected that this might take Barcelona a little longer, but the efforts will be considered by La Liga.
So if the league gives the green light, Barcelona would be in a position to sign Messi as long as they strictly meet the requirements. However, it must be noted that the Argentine’s contract is going to be very crucial in that negotiation.
Barcelona will wait for Messi to end his relationship with PSG
Once they get the all-clear from La Liga, Barcelona will wait for Messi to end his relationship with Paris Saint-Germain before making a move. For now, it is believed that PSG have tabled their side of the deal, but the Argentina captain is willing to wait to make a decision.
Lionel Messi’s current contract ends in June 2023.
The Argentina captain’s relationship with PSG fans has deteriorated to an extent that he was booed by some sections of the crowd during his recent outing.
So if Messi decides not to renew his deal with PSG, then only will Barcelona make their move. From there, the Blaugrana would make an attractive economical offer that would be well within the limit.
A one-season contract
SPORT reports that Barcelona plan to hand Messi a one-year contract and while it is not going to be an astronomical proposal in terms of finances, they would trust in the willingness of all parties to reach an agreement.
For now, there is absolutely no movement from anyone despite the fact that Joan Laporta has publicly expressed his desire to welcome Messi back. But in order to get this deal done, the approval of La Liga plays a fundamental role.
While there is still a long way to go for Barcelona to even enter into the negotiation, they have made it clear that they want Messi and for that, they are willing to go the distance. If not now, one can expect some rushing movements in May.
