Today's Barcelona, ??the "giant club" of La Liga, is like a leaking boat sailing in the stormy sea no matter how it is repaired. The club is currently in financial crisis. Messi, the team's biggest player, is now a free agent. Many high-paid players cannot be sold even if they are given away for free. New players may not be able to register. This series of thorny problems are plaguing Barcelona. It is no exaggeration to say that this club is on the verge of shock. Not to mention competing for the championship next season, even normal player registration is a big problem now. The club has reached a life-or-death moment.

Let’s sort out what exactly is Barcelona’s problem?

What is the club’s biggest problem?

Wages. La Liga has its own Financial Fair Play rules that limit how much each club can spend on wages. According to Catalan radio station RAC 1, Barcelona need to cut €187 million from their existing wage bill. Last year their limit was 347 million euros, now it is 160 million euros, less than half of last year.

So why don't they sell players, it's simple, isn't it?

They have been trying to sell players for the better part of the past three years. In the summer of 2019, Coutinho went to Bayern on loan, hoping that they could keep him permanently, but that did not happen. They've been trying to sell Umtiti for almost as long. They can't let the star leave. In order to let Arthur Melo leave, they had to use some financial means to bring in Pjanic, and now they are trapped by Pjanic again.

Messi has not renewed his contract yet...

He wants to stay, and Barcelona also wants to keep him, but even if he renews a contract that is similar to his last contract in 2017, The insignificant contract is also not conducive to achieving the reduction target of 187 million euros.

What's the worst that could happen?

He never comes back. His final games for Barcelona were a tepid league defeat at the end of last season, as they gave away the title to an empty Camp Nou.

What else could Barcelona do to prevent the worst outcome?

They could terminate the player's contract. They have released Brazilian midfielder Matheus Fernandez from his contract and he is now talking about taking them to court for unfair dismissal - which, incidentally, is the least of their concerns.

They could also sell some young edge players. Konrad de la Fuente was sold to Marseille, while Jean-Claire Todibo went to Nice. Firpo has just joined Leeds United in the Premier League. But this is hitting the iceberg with a hammer. A very small hammer is basically useless. The key to the problem is to get rid of high-paid players, especially Dembele, Umtiti and Coutinho.

Can you make money by selling young players?

Pedro shone throughout the European Cup. Ansu Fati is close to returning from injury but there will obviously be a long list of suitors if he is sold. Last season's budding midfield talent Ilix Moriba has already attracted interest from English clubs. But this is "selling the crown jewels", the club's most prized asset. These three players represent the future of the club.

So will you really spend money to let players leave?

The problem with this is that it further increases Barcelona's debt. Debt is used along with income to calculate La Liga's salary cap. On the plus side, this will help control payroll next season. This is going to put the issue aside for now, and it seems like a good option for now.

So players like Coutinho, Dembélé and Griezmann will really be ordered to leave, otherwise they would not be registered?

Griezmann Mann won't. Koeman has informed him when he will come for pre-season training.

The club still wants Messi, Aguero, and Griezmann as forwards next season. But Coutinho and Dembele are likely to be given up. Coutinho has just returned from injury and Dembélé has just suffered an injury that will keep him out for up to 4 months. Barcelona can make it clear they will not be registered.

Didn’t Messi make any symbolic statement? Can’t he play a season in vain?

Messi's view seems to be that he did not get Barcelona into this mess. In the past 15 years, he has done nothing wrong except bringing in revenue and trophies. The blame lies with former president Bartomeu, who mishandled the club's finances. Messi must also keep in mind his legal position.

Barcelona could come up with an elaborate contract package that would pay him the same amount but over a longer period of time, including a future role as a club ambassador. But Messi has been targeted by the Spanish tax authorities and will face the risk of a prison sentence if he makes any mistakes again.

Why are Barcelona in such a situation, doing nothing but signing new players in recent weeks?

Let’s talk about Bartomeu again. These deals were all struck by the previous chairman. Aguero was Laporta's signing, but it was to convince Messi that his future was at the club. Current president Laporta currently seems to have a plan in mind, and the weeks after the European Cup will be a critical moment for him to deal with these series of issues.

Are there any other ways out?

They may have to consider a choice: break the rules and suffer the consequences. The resolve of La Liga administrators has yet to be truly tested, and it is still unclear how they will deal with clubs that break the wage structure imposed on them. Barca could go their own way and then face a fine.

So the situation looks grim.

La Liga does not want to lose Messi, their biggest selling point. The Spanish tax authorities also do not want to lose the largest tax contributor. Everyone believes a way will be found, but no one currently knows what it is. (End)