Lionel Messi's current salary 'not affordable', claims Barcelona presidential candidate

Barcelona presidential candidate Emili Rousaud feels that Lionel Messi's salary is too hefty and unaffordable for Barcelona given their current financial situation. The Argentine forward is said to be earning an estimated £500,000-per-week at Barcelona while the club is deep in debt worth £700 million. 

Lionel Messi shocked the world when he sought a departure away from the Camp Nou. The player is yet to sign a new deal and will be free to negotiate with rival clubs in a different country from next month (January). Anyone who ascends to the presidential chair at Barcelona will need to ensure Leo stays and must do all to secure Lionel Messi's future at the Nou Camp. 

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Former Barcelona vice-president Emili Rousaud, who resigned this year in protest against how the club was being run by then chief Josep Maria Bartomeu, said Lionel Messi would accept a lower salary if he could be convinced the club will return to winning ways. The presidential candidate also spoke about the Barcelona wage bill along with Messi's salary "In the club's current situation Messi's salary is not sustainable, so we'll have to reach an agreement with him. We will present an attractive project to him," Rousaud told Spanish newspaper AS on Tuesday.

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Messi wants trophies and not money - Emili Rousand 

"What matters most here is the sporting project. When Messi said he was leaving he didn't mention money. He has the highest salary in the world, no-one earns more than him, he doesn't want to leave because he earns too little. He wants to leave because he wants to win trophies. He referred to that recently when he said: 'The Champions League is not within our reach.' He wants a team full of talent," Emili Rousaud added speaking on the Lionel Messi transfer story. 

Emili Rousaud, who is one of the many candidates running in the club's presidential election scheduled for January 24, 2021, has also said that he wishes to name Barcelona's renovated Camp Nou stadium after Lionel Messi, a move he believes will help the club attract more sponsors. The election is being held two months earlier than planned after Bartomeu's resignation in October.

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Image credits: AP