Barcelona 'planning to slash wage bill by £150m to aid Lionel Messi return'

Barcelona could reportedly facilitate a Lionel Messi return by cutting their wage bill by £150m.

The Catalan giants spent £145m in the summer transfer window, but they had to pull a number of financial levers to register their new additions.

Despite making an attempt to improve their economic situation, Barcelona's wage bill is still believed to be £546m.

According to the Daily Mail, Barcelona want to reduce that number by £150m as they attempt to bring their wage bill into an ideal window of £376m to £402m.

The report states that the cost-cutting plan could result in a number of high-profile departures, including Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

After Barcelona's vice-president of economics Eduard Romeu recently claimed that a Messi return was "possible", an improvement in the club's finances could help them sign the Argentine when his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires next summer.