Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez could leave Barcelona if Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain call, says club’s vice-president.
Barcelona economic vice-president Javier Faus says the Catalan club could be forced to let Lionel Messi, Neymar or Luis Suarez leave if the likes of Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain make an offer for them this summer.
The attacking trio have fired Barcelona to the brink of an incredible treble this season but Faus says that La Liga’s leaders cannot afford to pay the same salaries that are on offer at other top clubs around Europe.
And that could mean a summer move to the Barclays Premier League could be on the cards, though the Champions League finalists have every intention of hanging on to their ‘MSN’ triumvirate.
Chelsea and PSG have been touted as potential suitors for Messi in the past, and Faus admits that if clubs with their financial firepower were of interest to their stars, they may have to leave.
‘We can no longer pay the most in terms of wages,’ he told German newspaper Handelsblatt. ‘That’s now Chelsea and PSG.
‘You have to understand that players (in Spain) always compare their net pay to those of the Premier League or the Bundesliga, who have pushed costs up dramatically.
‘It will be a challenge but we want to avoid letting Messi, Neymar or Suarez go. But if a club has the potential to take them away because of their chequebook, then they will go.
‘The players have a very short career and are entitled to charge what other clubs can pay for their services.’
