Barcelona star could be sacrificed to make room for Lionel Messi - Reports 

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Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi (right). [Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images]

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Barcelona could offload star forward Antoine Griezmann to free up their wage budget to fund Lionel Messi's new contract, according to French outlet Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness).

The Blaugrana are currently in a financial mess. Due to their delay in offering Lionel Messi a new deal, their star asset is currently a free agent. One way to afford the Argentine's astronomical contract is for Barcelona to sell some of the fringe players who are on high wages.

The Catalan giants also asked several of their stars to lower their wages but that reportedly did not go down well with the squad. Barcelona are looking to offload many of their high-earners with Griezmann the most vulnerable option at the moment.

According to the aforementioned source, the Blaugrana are willing to listen to offers for Griezmann and won't hesitate in selling the Frenchman at the right price. Barcelona have already signed Sergio Agüero and Memphis Depay as attacking options to partner Messi.

Antoine Griezmann | Claim Man City’s Guardiola has already ‘spoken’ to Barcelona star on phone – Could be sacrificed to make room for Messihttps://t.co/OiJGVTbAsr #mcfc

— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) July 9, 2021

Manchester City are currently interested in signing Antoine Griezmann, as Pep Guardiola looks to find a replacement for Agüero. The Premier League champions are in pole position to sign Harry Kane but Spurs' asking price has cooled down their pursuit.

Antoine Griezmann could be a cheaper alternative to Kane, with Guardiola personally calling the French international and appreciating his gameplay.

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Lionel Messi wants a new two-year deal at Barcelona

Lionel Messi is keen to stay at Barcelona and wants a new two-year deal which will keep him at the Nou Camp until the summer of 2023. The delay in offering Messi a new deal is due to the fixing of some of the clauses in the contract, as reported by Fabrizio Romano last month.

Lionel Messi will extend his contract with Barcelona until June 2023, all parties involved have no doubt - but there are still some clauses to be fixed in the contract ‘structure’. 🔵🔴🇦🇷 #Messi

...that’s why there’s no official announcement yet. But it’s just a matter of time.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 24, 2021

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is pretty confident that Messi will be playing for the La Liga giants for another two seasons.

Earlier in the summer, it was reported that Lionel Messi would be keen to play in the MLS once his Barcelona contract expires in 2023. The 33-year-old forward has also expressed his desire to return to Barcelona as a board member once he hangs up his boots.

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