Barcelona presidential candidate, Toni Freixa has come out to say that Lionel Messi will need to take a pay cut to extend his current contract.
He recently revealed that even if the club is looking forward to the Argentine extending, the club cannot afford to continue paying his current wages beyond the end of the season.
According to him, calm discussions will happen with Messi and he expects club and player to reach a mutual agreement.
He added that Messi still has a lot of football to play before the end of his career, so he remains an important asset to Barcelona.
His words, “With Leo we will speak calmly, face-to-face with Barcelona’s best at the horizon,”
“To him, as to all the players who have to renew or sign, we will make an offer that, of course, will not be feasible to match the terms that he has had until now.
“It’s evident, and the members cannot be deceived, that the proposal that will be presented to him will not be the same as the one he has had until now, because income has fallen significantly and it will be necessary to find another formula.
“You don’t have to conquer Messi or convince him with other things. You have to look him in the eye and talk with him to know what each party wants, what he wants and what Barcelona want. We think Messi still has a lot of football left to play.”
“There is no such thing as an apocalypse on the horizon that some have talked about and the world is not ending.
“[Barcelona] have 121 years of history and experience. We will move forward. [However, if the signings the other candidates promise] are to happen with Barcelona’s money, I don’t see it so clearly.
“It would be another thing if they pay from their own pockets.”
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