Lionel Messi has provided Barcelona with a massive boost by committing his future to the club and taking a significant pay cut to ease their financial woes. The Argentine was out of contract at the end of June, and Barca’s financial issues left his tenure at Camp Nou in doubt. However, Messi agreed to take a 50% reduction on his contract to secure a five-year deal with the Catalonian club.
Barca is undergoing a rebuild of their squad due to their problems off the field. Junior Firpo, Jean-Clair Todibo, and Matheus Fernandes have all been allowed to leave in a desperate bid to balance the books, while further departures are to be expected. Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia, and Memphis Depay have all been added to the squad on free transfers, highlighting how prudent Barca has become in the transfer market.