Barcelona are set to pay Lionel Messi no less than 39 million Euros due to an agreement with him that dates back to 2017.
Messi is expected to leave Barcelona at the end of this season. The Barcelona skipper’s contract renewal at the Camp Nou is supposedly paused, and he will decide at the end of the season.
According to Diario GOL, sensational details have emerged about the player’s contractual situation. Barca must pay him a settlement amount of 39m Euros in July, which is set to worsen their financial leverage.
The payment comes from a clause inserted in Messi’s contract, which was last renewed in 2017. The deal promised him a salary close to 100m Euros, along with two payments of 39m Euros as part of a loyalty bonus.
Messi was already handed the first instalment last year, but the club now has to pay him another lump sum as he potentially leaves.
Fortunately, Barca have the option to make deferred payments in eight semi-annual units until 2025, which is a good fallback considering the masses of debt they are in.
SPORTSLENS VIEW:
Josep Maria Bartomeu left Barca in tatters, and the payment owed to Messi was another of the former president’s worst moves.
Thankfully, Barcelona are not obliged to pay Messi on a lump sum basis, but it still is an expenditure which otherwise could have helped them bring in a good signing.
What’s worse is that Barca must pay Messi the said figure regardless of whether he leaves or not, which means a new contract offer cannot even be an option to get away from the payment.
In hindsight, the Catalans should have let Messi leave last summer itself to avoid such gigantic complications.
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