Barcelona plot Lionel Messi return with clever contract offer

Robin Bairner

• 31 Mar 2023 09:16 BST
• 3 min read

Details have emerged of the contract that Barcelona are willing to offer Lionel Messi as they aim to welcome him back to the club in the summer.

The 35-year-old is out of contract at the end of June with PSG and his future remains unclear.

The Ligue 1 club are thought to be eager to keep the veteran World Cup winner but equally Barcelona are pushing for him to return to the club where he became a legend.

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The Catalan side’s financial position, though, is difficult. They have been instructed to make €200 million of cuts to their wage bill before the end of June to allow them to register players next season, complicating Messi’s potential return.

Nevertheless, according to reports in Spain, Barcelona have drawn up an outline contract that they are willing to offer the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.

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What is Barcelona's contract offer to Messi?

El Chiringuito journalist Jose Alvarez Haya reports that Barca want to offer Messi a one-year contract with the option of an additional year. In this deal, he will be paid a salary of around €6-7m a season. This would, however, be sweetened by a percentage of marketing revenue that Barcelona would earn thanks to his return, which could work out as a significant figure.

Barcelona’s issue, though, is that PSG are in a position to offer Messi far more lucrative terms. The Argentine earns €3.4m a month with the Ligue 1 club, which equates to €40.8m in a year.

Barca will, therefore, be leaning on Messi’s loyalty towards the club and his family’s love of the city if they are to capture him, particularly as offers from MLS and Saudi Arabia are also liable to be more financially attractive.

They were, however, given hope by Sergio Aguero earlier this week, with Messi’s great friend admitting that he thinks the forward wants to return to Barcelona.