Cash-strapped Barcelona STILL have to pay Lionel Messi £33m loyalty bonus despite legend completing PSG transfer

LIONEL MESSI’s exit hit Barcelona hearts hard – but to make matter worse, he’s still hitting them in the pocket.

Despite the Argentine mega-star leaving for Paris Saint-Germain, the Catalan giants still have to pay him a £33million LOYALTY BONUS, according to Football Espana.

Espana claim that Barca will still have to hand Messi the eye-watering sum which was part of his staggering £492m contract.

Paying the whopping figure could prove a serious problem for the LaLiga giants, Espana report.

Its no secret that the club are facing a financial crisis at the moment.

And their lack of funds is the reason that they had to let the 34-year-old leave in the first place.

Barca’s president Joan Laporta had even claimed that Messi wanted to stay but they couldn’t afford his wages even if he took a pay cut.

In the end, Laporta said their prized asset had to leave to secure the club’s future.

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Messi spoke of his desire to stay before his exit, saying: “I’m really sad because I didn’t want to leave this club.

“I love Barcelona and I wanted to stay, my contract was ready.”

“I did everything in my possibility to stay.”

And now Barca’s all-time top-scorer, with an incredible 672 goals in 778 appearances has gone on to join ex-Nou Camp team-mate Neymar in Paris.

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Messi’s arrival was announced on Tuesday afternoon after a frantic and fascinating day in European football.

PSG confirmed the signing by sharing a teasing video on social media, containing Messi’s Argentina shirt and six Ballon d’Or awards.

Messi received a £25m signing fee and ranks as PSG’s highest-paid player – earning approximately £1m-per-week.

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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk