Barcelona and the three-phase plan for the repatriation of Lionel Messi

There is one certainty. Barcelona he is determined to win back Lionel Messi. He wants it back at Camp Nou and dressed blaugrana. Everyone wants it, as was heard the other day in the 10th minute of the derby against Real Madrid. It is the only certainty. Behind that belief is a meticulous plan to achieve the most desired goal. A three-phase plan that the leaders of the Catalan club must follow to the letter. Without deviating an inch. Beware, there are also multiple impediments. However, in the heart of Catalonia, they are enthusiastic. And they know, as the popular saying goes, that hope is the last thing to lose.

Beyond all this general enthusiasm that reigns in Barcelona – and that which derives from the 4-0 defeat by Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-finals – Joan Laporta and company know that the first hurdle is in Paris. It is that, it is insisted, the only open negotiation that the world champion has at the moment is with PSG.

- Advertisement -

First step: farewell to Paris

It will repeat ad nauseum: George Messifather and representative of the Pulce, still has a pending meeting with Nasser Al Khelaifi, the patron of the club in the French capital. The Qataris are the ones who are making the most effort for the Argentine to continue near the Eiffel Tower. But they know that, for that to happen, they have to offer him not only a good renewal contract, but also a sports project that makes him feel he has an unequivocal chance of fighting for the title again. Champions League.

With the napkin tied around the neck and the cutlery in hand, in Barcelona they hope that this negotiation will end in shipwreck. Only then would the Catalan club’s chances begin to increase. It is that Barcelona, ​​​​​​for affection and roots – should not move the whole family to another unknown place – becomes the ideal plan B for the Rosario.

And this is where this three-step plan to seduce Messi would begin to take shape, knowing that the Catalan club has two major open fronts – one financial and the other judicial – that it must resolve before thinking about any kind of flea offer.

Second step: fix the finances

Barcelona has just schematized the engineering to smooth out the financial hurdles that, right now, make the dream of repatriating Messi close to a utopia. Not to mention the uncertainty generated by the call “Negreira Case”, the complaint weighing on the club for possible corruption offenses following the millionaire payments made to the former vice president of the technical committee of referees, José María Enríquez Negreira. The episode could become a scandal of proportions if the proceedings initiated in the courts of Catalonia and in the offices of UEFA go ahead.

Beyond this concern for the “Negreira case”, the first step is precisely to reach an agreement with The League to deal with the financial situation of the club. Javier ThebesSpanish football bosses warned that the club must step down 200 million of the factory wage bill.

“Barça officials will meet with LaLiga to explore an agreement to lower the salary cap. Mateu Alemany (football director of the club) has long prepared a feasibility plan which includes, above all, a reduction of expenses and budget that would allow to give some air to this salary cap. Next week’s meeting is essential to unravel the issue and Barça see him well concentrated.”explains this Friday the Sport newspaper.

The plan is comprehensive and includes salary adjustments on campus, sales to generate income and reduce the budget, and also cuts in non-football-related areas so the numbers stop raging in the red. They trust the Camp Nou offices that Tebas and company will give the green light, especially in view of this LaLiga needs to recover weight figures to reposition the product they sell.

Third step: win back Messi

Having overcome that obstacle and with the hope that the negotiations between Messi and PSG will stop, the Catalans are also planning a possible contract for the Argentine. It is that the reduction in the salary bill continues without making room for the salary that the best player of the last World Cup deserves.

Thus, as they try to convince several companies to become sponsors and thus generate extra income for the club and the Argentine, Laporta and company hope that, after a public apology to clarify the objectives of his departure almost two years ago, the leader of the Scalonetta agree to lower your cachet compared to what he currently receives at PSG -about 30 million euros a year-.

On the other hand, the management believes that Barcelona will fully comply with Messi’s other requirement, which would imply having a team capable of competing strongly in the Champions League. It is known that he has excellent chemistry with the coach, Xavi Hernándezwho has already given the green light to add Rosario to the scaffolding of a team that is in a serious process of reconstruction.