Barcelona must reportedly trim £441m from their wage bill as Lionel Messi edges closer to agreeing a new deal with the cash-strapped Catalans.

Barcelona will reportedly have to make £441m worth of cuts in order to afford Lionel Messi's contract renewal.

The Blaugrana are in a deep financial crisis and are facing over £1bn worth of debts, but Messi is thought to have agreed a new five-year deal with the Catalan giants.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner will accept a significant pay cut to remain on the books at Camp Nou, but Barca are now under even more pressure to offload some of their highest earners who have struggled to perform.

According to The Athletic, Barca's salary cap is set to be slashed to £138m from £579m, meaning that Ronald Koeman's side must shift £441m from their wage bill as a matter of urgency.

The club have waved goodbye to fringe players such as Junior Firpo, Carles Alena and Jean-Clair Todibo but are reportedly working hard to offload the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti, with the former having supposedly been offered to Manchester United.

Umtiti, meanwhile, is thought to be in talks over a return to Lyon, but a recent report has indicated that Coutinho could stay at the club ahead of the 2021-22 season. body check tags ::

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