Barcelona President Joan Laporta has stated that the team will need to break the UEFA Financial Fair Play, FFP rules to extend Lionel Messi’s contract.
Mr Laporta, while speaking to Spanish media ElTransistorOC, mentioned that both the club and the player want the extension of the contract but increasing his current financial terms will break the FFP rules.
Six-times Ballon D’or winner, Lionel Messi signed a reported £477 million four-year contract with Barcelona in June 2017 which has now elapsed some hours ago.
The deal is the most expensive sporting deal for any player on the planet beating other players in sports like Basketball, Golf and Boxing.
The financial fair play rule was introduced by former UEFA President, Michel Platini, in a move to curb excessive spending by clubs beyond their income. Its implementation began in the 2011-2012 season.
The FFP rule exempted funds expended on training ground, youth development and infrastructure from the restriction while the particular interest was on the transfer fees and wages of players.
The FFP rule ensures that the total income for a club must be put into consideration to determine the total expenses of transfer fee, salaries and finance costs of a team and breaking the law will lead to sanctions.