FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is arguably the best football player in the world. However, his contract expires in 2018 but the club has not signed him to a new deal. Barca CEO, Oscar Grau, revealed the real reason why Messi has not extended his contract just yet.
Grau told reporters at the Forum Europa on Wednesday that Barcelona cannot sign Messi to a new deal because they are over the 70 percent wage budget imposed by the La Liga. He noted that they have to use their common sense in this kind of situation and increase the club's revenue.
"One option is to increase our revenues, as our economic strategy forecasts. We want to have the best players around, but perhaps we have to prioritize," Grau said, via Reuters.
"The club wants the best player in the world to stay at Barca. I would like to ease the concerns of club members and supporters but we have to use common sense," he added.
According to BBC, Barcelona has a limited wage budget because of the recent deals that were given to Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr. The two star forwards are reportedly set to earn £21 million per year until the 2021 season. Messi, on the other hand, has an annual salary of £19 million until next year.
Barcelona has the largest wage budget in La Liga and their average annual salary of £5.6 million is just second to Manchester United, per the Global Sports Salary Survey. The Catalan club has a budget of £603 million which will only get bigger next season.
Japanese internet company, Rakuten, recently reached a sponsorship deal with Barcelona that pays around £47.7 million annually. The club can also sell unwanted players like Ivan Rakitic and Aleix Vidal to increase their budget.
If Messi fails to sign a contract extension, he can transfer to any team for free. PSG, Manchester City and Chelsea have been linked with the 29-year-old forward but he is expected to sign a new deal by next year.
