AFAIK, even with the tax malarky Messi is still a very wealthy person who can live within the means of his total accrued wealth right now. If so, then the supreme altruism for the club that made him would have been to take a pay cut and do some T+Cs based on how Barca get their balance sheet sorted (and how he on-pitch contributed to that) . Going to PSG on same/better wages initially screams : utter merc.
He literally couldn't do that, as the way that the league has structured their rules makes it impossible. Barca would still be well over the required level without him on the books. If he offered to play for free, then he'd still be counted at a substantial level, precisely to avoid this sort of thing.
Just seen agent Foyth managed to break Hakim Ziyech's arm in last night's super cup game which I and literally everyone I know didn't remember was happening.
How many other Barca players would have to be released and then re-signed with zero transfer/wage fees so the club break even ?? That would be the measure of the sh*t the club is in (I am uneducated as the the nature + forewarning of whatever rules that La Liga have concocted which put Barca in this mess) .
It seems Spurs players of all stages in their career are destined to give Ziyech grief in UEFA tournaments.
Here's a short article about it written after I posted which sums it up: https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/...ages-la-liga-salary-cap-play-free-why-1141150 They're ****ed, basically. No idea how they're going to get around it and they have to register tomorrow, IIRC.
Perhaps termination of certain player contracts by mutual consent, and then re-signing on appropriate wages to get to the 70% level (though probably legal in the "letter of the law" IMHO would still be challenged in court by someone) .
