La Liga president Javier Tebas has commented on the possibility of Lionel Messi returning to Barcelona. The Argentine is set to leave PSG at the end of the season when his contract expires, and rumours have linked him back to his former club strongly over the last few weeks.
However, Barcelona have been asked to trim their wage bill by €200 million this summer in order to register new players. And according to Tebas, the club will need to sell players in order to make the return of their greatest ever player a reality.
Lionel Messi returning to Barcelona: Javier Tebas comments
“If Barca signs Lionel Messi, his salary will be less than what it is at Paris Saint-Germain,” said the La Liga chief.
He added: “His return is now conditional on selling players.
“I think that Barca will get a good amount from selling players this summer.”
“I would particularly like Messi to come back,” Tebas said (via Di Marzio). “What is clear is that there is economic control, and to hire players, you have to respect it.
“On the one hand, you can engage if there is a balanced budget, and for this reason, Barcelona must make an effort to contain costs, which is very high.
“On the other hand, there is the 40% rule – they have to adapt to that.”
The club has a plan to offload loanees and other players on their wage bill that aren’t contributing to the first team. And this could see them earn a significant amount in order to register players and new contracts for existing players.
