# Barcelona’s plans to trim wage bill by €150m could pave way for Lionel Messi return

URL: https://technosports.co.in/barcelonas-plans-to-trim-wage-bill-by-e150m-could-pave-way-for-lionel-messi-return/  
Published: 2022-10-01  
Updated: 2022-10-01  
Author: Arsh Das

Barcelona are still in a difficult financial condition, despite selling their assets for the foreseeable future. The team has the second highest wage bill in history at €656 million, which is close to their own record of €671 million which was the case in 2018/19. 

The club’s economic vice president Eduard Romeu recently pointed out that there remains a lot of work to be done on the financial front. And their current plans involve reducing the wage bill by around €150 million. 

## Barcelona plan to trim wage bill considerably 

> 🔽 Barcelona will slash their wage bill by nearly €170 million, which'll pave the way for Lionel Messi's return. [[@sport](https://twitter.com/sport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)] [pic.twitter.com/BTafWd5wdG](https://t.co/BTafWd5wdG)
>
> — Let's Barca! (@Lets_Barca) [September 29, 2022](https://twitter.com/Lets_Barca/status/1575471974054330375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

One of the main strategies to achieve the wage bill cut will be to move on veterans. The likes of Jordi Alba, [Gerard Pique](https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/football/first-team/players/2737/gerard-pique) and Sergio Busquets are expected to leave the club next summer. And this would result in a significant amount off of the wage bill in 2023. 

The extra amount will allow them to try and sign Lionel Messi on a free transfer again. The Argentine is out of a contract next summer, and has not started talks over a renewal as of yet. 

However, he will only decide on his future after the [2022 World Cup](https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022) in Qatar. Which means that right now, there is no other option but to wait. 

There is another complication, which is the deferred wages of their current players. So, it will be a complicated few months for the club in order to deal with all their issues financially.