Barcelona are reportedly still some way off being able to secure superstar Lionel Messi's future with a new contract despite having months to rectify their issues.
After being found guilty of operating significantly over La Liga's wage rulings, Barcelona were hit with a punishment that meant they were not allowed to register any new players before they had seriously reduced the amount they fork out on wages.
Due to the fact that Messi's previous contract had expired at the end of last season, he was set to renew and commit his future to the Camp Nou to prolong his 21-year stay.
However, in the period between the expiration of Messi's previous contract and before he had the chance to sign a new one, La Liga slapped Barca with the wage-related punishment.
As a result, just like a number of other new signings, Messi has been unable to be registered as a Barca player, with the new season now under two weeks away.
If recent reports are to be believed, Barcelona could have yet another issue to deal with, as La Liga are rumoured to be investigating whether the money they have cleared from their wage bill thus far has been done in a fair and legitimate manner.
Barca club president Joan Laporta has pleaded with La Liga officials, claiming: "We want more flexibility from the league to be able to include more signings.
"The negotiations with Messi are well under way, but we are fixing several issues on both sides."
Unfortunately for Laporta, he is unlikely to find any sympathy from those over at La Liga headquarters, who have a number of reasons as to why they may not be in any great rush to help Barca.
The first of which is the fact that the ruling surrounding the wages could only be modified if all other clubs voted in favour of doing so, something Barcelona know won't happen due to the fact they have presented that idea only to be rebuffed earlier this year.
Should La Liga help Barcelona register Messi in time for the new season? Have your say here.
Barca have reportedly explored the idea of government help, but La Liga harbour concerns over whether that would scupper the viability of the league, given any loan would create another financial complication in the form of growing debt.
The Catalan giants are also hardly popular among league officials at the moment given their desperation to join the European Super League, something the club are still in favour of doing despite all English sides pulling out.
If La Liga are unwilling to look past such issues and help Barcelona out, or at least not punish them for the wages they have managed to shift, Messi could be waiting a while to don the famous red and blue shirt once again.
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