Barcelona looking to pull new financial levers in order to re-sign Lionel Messi this summer

Barcelona are considering one of the most bizarre deals in football to bring Lionel Messi back to the club, as they continue to battle financial issues.

The problems that Barcelona have faced when it comes to their finances haven't really gone away since Messi left the club two years ago.

Not being able to register the Argentina superstar once his contract had expired was the issue then, and Gavi is suffering from similar problems now.

The Spain midfielder has lost his status as a first team player this season because of it, and could leave in the summer if the issue isn't sorted soon.

That's all despite the fact the club used several 'financial levers' last summer in order to be able to sign and register new signings, such as Robert Lewandowski.

That included selling a percentage of their future tv deals to outside investors, amongst other things, as the Catalan giants tried to keep themselves competitive with rivals Real Madrid.

Now they could use more levers just to bring Messi back to the club, something the fans clearly wouldn't mind seeing, having chanted his name during El Clasico this week.

According to reports, Barca could look to get a new sponsor to pay for the World Cup winner's wages, if that doesn't work then they're looking into the possibility of him partially being paid through a percentage on shirt sales and/or ticket sales.

So far there's been no concrete talks between the player and his former team and, if they do make an offer, they're not the only team interested in him.

MLS side Inter Miami have long been linked with the 35-year-old, and there were reports at one point that he'd already agreed to sign for them.

That turned out not to be the case but should he decide to move to America he could be on just as interesting a deal, with equity in the club potentially on the table.

Other clubs in the league could also end up helping chip in for the forward's wages, which would be an incredible bit of negotiation from the club owned by David Beckham.

There is also interest in Saudi Arabia for Messi, who could earn a similar ridiculous fee to Cristiano Ronaldo, if he decides to follow his rival to the Middle East.

PSG could also still keep their forward at the Parc des Princes beyond the summer, as they hold an option to extend his deal by a year.

Topics: Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, France, Spain, Transfers

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a journalist for SPORTbible with over eight years of experience. Passionate about all sports, he mainly covers football and F1 - Daniel Ricciardo once spent an entire interview referring to him as 'Ryan Gosling,' still his proudest moment.

@Sidler28