Barcelona president plans four player sales after Messi’s renewal

As has been the word going around town, the agreement between Lionel Messi and Barcelona is very close to being made official. The Catalan captain will sign for five seasons taking a massive pay-cut to ease the burden off the club’s shoulders.

However, the pressure is still very much on the board to bring down the wage bill. Gol reports that Laporta is eyeing four major exits in the coming week, including those of Ousmane Dembele, Phillipe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, and Miralem Pjanic.

The situation with each of the players is tricky in its own sense. While their departures are necessary, a common hurdle in all four operations is the high salary. While there are clubs interested in all four players, facilitating departures will be difficult unless the players are ready to accept a lower wage.

The club will undoubtedly try to move on Ousmane Dembele, however, his injury will be a major obstacle in seeing the deal through. After enjoying a largely injury-free season, the Frenchman ran into a long-term injury just as the club were eyeing potential suitors.

Phillipe Coutinho has been frozen out of the first-team action for several months. Moreover, the rise of Pedri leaves no place in the side for the Brazilian. Recent links to AC Milan come as welcome news for Barcelona, as they hope to accelerate the process.

Miralem Pjanic has found multiple suitors in Serie A, as Juventus, Roma, and Inter Milan have shown interest. However, a move will not be possible unless the Bosnian agrees on a lower wage. At the moment, the player’s party show no interest in the same.

Samuel Umtiti is the final player on Laporta’s list, and probably the most difficult transfer to deal with. The player seems to have no intention of leaving. Moreover, only a few clubs are interested in the Frenchman’s signature.

Another blow in the transfer of the central defender is the withdrawal of Olympique Lyonnais, which has come to light in recent hours.