Lionel Messi’s inevitable transfer to PSG from Barcelona has been put under threat by lawyers who plot to block his move over claims the PSG cannot sign the Argentine icon because of their FFP situation.
This development came days after Barcelona confirmed that Messi would not enter into a new contract with the Spanish club amid financial concerns “and structural obstacles” which blocked Messi from renewing.
After Lionel Messi confirmed his exit from Barcelona, PSG offered Messi an initial two-year deal, assumed to be in the region of £25m a year after tax, and the six-time Ballon d’Or winner and his agents are now reviewing and considering it.
However, Barcelona lawyers have filed a complaint to the European Court of Appeals, stating PSG should be prevented from signing Messi based on financial data.
While confirming the complaint on Twitter, Juan Branco tweeted: “On behalf of FC Barcelona partners, my firm has prepared a complaint with the European Commission and demands for provisional suspension before civil and administrative courts in France to prevent Paris-Saint Germain from signing Lionel Messi.
“PSG’s ratios in terms of ‘Financial Fair Play’ are worse than those of FC Barcelona.
“In 2019-2020, PSG’s salary-to-income ratio was 99%, while Barcelona’s was 54%. Meanwhile, the difference has increased.
“It is inconceivable that the ‘Financial Fair Play’ serves to aggravate the drifts of football-business, the instrumentalization of football by sovereign powers, and the distortion of competitions.”
According to Marca, the report claims PSG will breach FFP rules with the signing of Messi and states that Barcelona could not renew his contract because even after a 50 percent pay cut, the wage bill of the club would be 110 percent of the cap.
The report also pointed at PSG’s active summer this summer, with the acquisition of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, and Georginio Wijnaldum.
The football club already has the enormous wages of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to foot.
