FC Barcelona Expect La Liga’s Lionel Messi Signing And Registration Green Light In Meeting Next Week: Reports

FC Barcelona expect La Liga to give them the green light to sign and register Lionel Messi at a meeting next week, SPORT has reported.

Barca’s all-time appearances leader and highest scorer becomes a free agent on June 30 when his contract at Paris Saint Germain expires.

As confirmed by the Catalans’ vice president Rafa Yuste last week, talks have already begun with the Messi camp to try and have the Argentine return.

Given Barca’s financial woes and the need to reduce €200 million ($218 million) from the wage bill according to La Liga president Javier Tebas, however, the operation won’t be straightforward.

Barca must convince the Spanish top flight that they can pull the deal off, and to this end top board members will meet with the league next week to explore whether it is possible to have Messi don Blaugrana again.

Sporting director Mateu Alemany has drawn up a vialibility plan to lower Barca’s salary limits for next season, according to SPORT, at the same time that club has worked thoroughly to reduce spending, cut salaries and transfer players out of the club.

Because of this, they expect La Liga to give the go-ahead in negotiations that will take some time, and see the best player in the world return to the Spanish championship, despite a long-running feud with its president Javier Tebas who the club demanded should hand in his resignation at the beginning of the week through an official statement.

Tebas was accused of submitting false evidence aimed at incriminating two former vice presidents in the ‘Caso Negreira’ scandal according to a La Vanguardia report but denies wrongdoing while threatening to take legal action against those that slander him.

Once Barca have received a thumbs up from La Liga, they will then need to await which decision Leo Messi makes on his future amid renewal offers from PSG and a monstrous $438 million-a-year proposal from Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia according to Fabrizio Romano.

From a sporting and marketing perspective, however, Barca need to move Heaven and Earth to land Messi and give their greatest ever player the send off he deserves ahead of retiring or heading back over the Atlantic to try something new in the MLS or at Newell’s Old Boys.