How Barcelona could fund a Messi deal this summer

Stuart Telford

• 4 Apr 2023 22:59 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona want to re-sign Lionel Messi from PSG next summer, but they also need to reduce their debt by €200 million. Something's got to give.

Messi is a free agent from June, with his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expiring, and the World Cup winner has so far dragged his feet on extending his stay in the French capital.

He has been booed recently by sections of the PSG support, at the same time as Barca vice president Rafa Yuste has admitted that the club "would love for him to return" to his spiritual home.

READ: Barcelona CONFIRM Messi contact as La Liga open door to transfer

While Messi wouldn't elicit a transfer fee, his wages should prove to be prohibitively expensive.

The Argentine earns €63.6 million a year in France and whilst Barca couldn't dream of matching that given their current financial difficulties, the player would at least hope to better the €37.5m currently brought home by top earner Frenkie de Jong.

Most of the squad are for sale - with the exclusion of Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, Gavi and Pedri - while president Javier Tebas is set to sell 49 per cent of Barca Licensing & Merchandising (BLM), according to Forbes.

But there could be a third way to fund Messi's return.

READ: Barcelona ready to active €250m super lever to kickstart summer transfers

Messi's commercial profits

"The Blaugrana are working with important sponsors that would allow them to re-sign Messi without breaching Financial Fair Play regulations," reports Gerard Romero, per GOAL.

"Investors can help to make that move possible by agreeing to deals that would see the Argentine's low base salary topped up by a share of the commercial profits that he helps to generate."

Messi accounted for 80 per cent of Barcelona's shirt sales before he left, which typically generated around €30m a year for the club.

Messi may not be a Barca player again yet, but between selling players, a further percentage of future revenues, and Messi's rights back to him, they may be able to make something work.