Lionel Messi hoping Barcelona pay cut will help Erling Haaland pursuit
By Tom Gott
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi hopes to see the club use the money they will save on his new contract to push ahead with their ambitious transfer plans this summer.
Messi's father recently met with Barcelona president Joan Laporta to discuss the idea of an extension, with Messi Sr suggesting the Argentine would be happy to accept a 50% pay cut on a longer contract which would see him recoup those lost earnings in an ambassadorial role after he leaves the club.
Saving such a significant portion of Messi's wages would be enormous for Barcelona, who are lost in a world of spiralling debts while simultaneously pretending that their involvement in the lucrative Super League plans was purely based on football.
However, according to Eurosport, Messi is only prepared to sacrifice that money if it is reinvested in some more big names this summer, with Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland one of the names at the top of his wish list.
Messi wants to see Barcelona prove their determination to win the Champions League again and feels Haaland would help them achieve their goal. 50% of his salary would likely pay for most of Haaland's wages, so he is ready to help out on that front.
There's obviously the small matter of Dortmund's £150m asking price to deal with, but it is thought that Laporta is busy coming up with ways to raise that kind of money, and his close relationship with agent Mino Raiola is seen as another boost to Barcelona's chances of signing Haaland.
At this point, Messi is not particularly bothered about money. He obviously still wants to be paid like one of the world's elite, but his primary focus is seeing Barcelona become competitive again.
His desire to leave the club last summer was based on the fact that Barcelona had invested poorly in the transfer market and were on a clear downward spiral, but Laporta has vowed to turn the Argentine's opinion around.
On the pitch, results have improved massively and Barcelona are now back in the race for the La Liga title. Messi now sees hope for the current crop of players, but Laporta's insistence that Haaland could join them too has only helped speed things up.
Even if Barcelona don't land Haaland, Messi expects the club to be busy in the transfer market, and Laporta is keen to grant his wish.