Lionel Messi must reduce wage for Barcelona contract renewal, admits presidential candidate

Barcelona presidential hopeful Toni Freixa has admitted that club captain Lionel Messi will have to lower his current wage at the club in order to renew his contract.

The Argentine superstar’s contract expires at the end of the current campaign and he will be free to negotiate terms with other club from 1 January should he not renew his deal ahead of that point.

“With Leo we will speak calmly, face to face about what is best for Barça and of course for him,” Freixa explained on the show El Curubito, as quoted by Marca.

“Just as with all the players who have a renewal coming up, we will be making an offer but of course we will not be able to match the current conditions that he currently has.

“You do not have to convince Messi with false promises, you have to look him in the eye and talk to know what he wants and what Barça wants. We think Messi still has a lot of football to play here.”

It comes after the Messi news that he confirmed he was staying at the Camp Nou for this season, although he clarified that he was less than happy to be doing so, after threatening to leave the club on a free transfer over the summer.

Barcelona news had been dominated by Messi’s demands to leave the club in the close-season and his future at the club beyond this current campaign is now unclear.

The resignation of club president Josep Maria Bartomeu has left a power void on how to deal with contract extensions as interim president Carlos Tusquets is unlikely to negotiate such a significant move in his short-term stay.

Tusquets has said that the club’s presidential elections are likely to be held in January and in quotes carried by Diario Sport last week, he said Barça will “call them (elections) as soon as possible as long as the health conditions and restrictions allow.”

Tags Lionel Messi Toni Freixa
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