BARCELONA have been handed a blow in their attempts to cut the wage bill in order to re-sign Lionel Messi.
The LaLiga giants are hopeful of bringing the former favourite back to the Nou Camp once his contract expires at PSG this summer.
However, to be able to afford the mercurial Argentinian forward, Barcelona must reduce the wage bill by a reported £180million.
This reduction would allow the club to make some more significant moves this summer after a financially tricky period.
Over the last couple of years, members of the squad have taken pay cuts in order to help the club.
But according to Sport, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen are two that have recently rejected decreases to their salaries.
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The duo have only been at the club since last summer after joining on free transfers from AC Milan and Chelsea.
And the report suggests that the proposed pay cut have not gone down well with the players arguing that they rejected larger contracts to join the club in the first place.
It goes on to say that Kessie and Christensen think that the contract change is unwarranted considering their short time at the club.
This means that Barcelona would have to consider different options to trim their expenses.
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Messi recently reignited hope of a spectacular return to the club after he was spotted with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Barcelona boss Xavi also revealed that the club are in “permanent contact” with his former team-mate, hinting a return could be on the cards.
He said: “Messi knows that Barcelona is his home and the doors are open, I said this many times.
“He’s my friend — we are in permanent contact, a potential return will only depend on him. Leo is the best player in history, he’d always fit in.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
