There is exactly five weeks and one day until Barcelona have their first fixture of the 2021/22 La Liga season.
Pre-season is therefore just a couple of weeks away.
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Lionel Messi, currently away with Argentina and hoping to win a first national team title in the Copa America this weekend, is now out of contract, even though his wish is to remain at Barcelona.
Owing to the incredibly poor financial situation that the Catalans find themselves in, president, Joan Laporta, is having to move heaven and earth to try and find a solution to be able to re-register his captain.
At present, there are still a number of players needing to be moved on in order that Messi’s wages can be met and the club still fall within Financial Fair Play boundaries.
It’s a precarious situation for all concerned, and one which really needs to be sorted out as soon as practicable.
Laporta, to his credit, doesn’t appear at all worried.
At the Ronald Koeman Cup golf tournament, he replied “everything is fine” when questioned as to the state of play with Messi’s contract, per MARCA.
The next few weeks will be crucial to see how fine things remain.