Barcelona's Lionel Messi 'willing to take pay cut at next club'

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has reportedly accepted that he may have to take a pay cut at his next club if he is to leave Camp Nou this summer.

The 33-year-old signalled his intention to leave the Spanish giants earlier this week in the wake of a trophyless campaign which ended with an 8-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Messi believes that he has a contractual right to leave the club on a free transfer due to a clause in his deal which he claims should have been extended in line with the prolonged 2019-20 season.

However, Barcelona argue that the clause expired on June 10 and that they are therefore able to demand Messi's full €700m (£624.3m) release clause before considering selling the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Even if Messi is allowed to leave for free, only a handful of clubs in world football could afford his wages - thought to be a minimum of £90m per year and as much as £110m a year if certain clauses and bonuses are triggered.

However, Spanish journalist Guillem Balague claims that Messi is willing to accept a wage decrease if it means sealing a move away from Barcelona this summer.

Manchester City are currently the front-runners for the Argentina international's signature, while Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Manchester United, Chelsea and Inter Milan have also been touted as other options.