How Barca wage cut will impact Messi's future?

Spain remains in a "state of alarm", activated by the prime minister Pedro Sanchez a fortnight ago due to the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that Spain is among the countries with the highest cases.

Barcelona will try to "minimise the economic impact" caused by the pandemic and have announced plans to reduce player and staff wages.

Barcelona divided because of the wage cut

Barcelona is the second richest club in Spain and it was reported that they offered to cut players' wages by 70 per cent. The players disagree with that decision and want 30 per cent cut off.

For now no agreement has been reached, but the club are adamant there will be wage cuts. So where exactly does this leave Lionel Messi?

The Argentine star, whose contract expires next summer, is reported to earn £500,000-a-week, which means that his salary amounts to over £31m and that is before bonuses.

Barcelona is two points clear at the top of the LaLiga table, but the fractious relationship between the club and its players has brought some insecurity about Messi's future ah he has a clause in his contract which will allow him to leave Camp Nou on a free transfer this summer.

However, Barcelona hope to go through the wage cut crisis under "ERTE", the temporary employment regulation that has been set up, but the true cost is that the players are divided and one of their biggest stars could leave them.

A presidential election might make Messi leave

With LaLiga halted indefinitely, so too the battle for Barcelona's figurehead has ground to a halt and the next presidential election are set for June 2021.

Messi had hoped for a new president to be elected before he sign any new deal, but if Josep Maria Bartomeu is allowed to stay on for another term, the Argentine most probably will leave.

Messi is the Barcelona captain and Bartomeu knows this move will likely lead to his departure in 15 months' time, but his final objective is to tie the club's biggest star down to a 'contract for life'.

The alternatives for Messi

Messi has never played in England and one potential route is to join the Premier League.

We might witness a reunion with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, but it is unlikely as City are facing a two - year ban to participate in any European tournament.

Paris Saint-Germain is one of the other options that the 32-year-old is having. In PSG, Messi would be earning good money, but competition is what he has always wanted and the Parisians are desperate to win the Champions League.