Cash-strapped Barcelona set to sign 34-year-old free agent

Barcelona are dipping into the free agent market

It's no secret that Barcelona's finances are in disarray. The La Liga giants are currently feeling the consequences of sequential seasons of ill-informed decision making during the reign of Josep Bartomeu, who was ousted from the board in 2020. Big money signings, given long and expensive contracts, compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic have culminated in the club being plunged so deep into the red they're currently unable to register their newest recruits for the upcoming La Liga season due to the league's salary cap measures. With so little money to spend on strengthening the squad as they look to regain the title from Atlético Madrid, the Catalan club have been dipping into the free agent market, with Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero both joining the club on Bosman deals from Lyon and Manchester City respectively. And the next free agent to join Barça appears to be 34-year-old playmaker Lionel Messi, according to Fabrizio Romano. Messi, who was recently part of Argentina's Copa America winning squad, will reportedly pen a five-year contract with Barcelona. Known for his dribbling skills and chance creation ability, Messi is expected to link up well with the glittering array of attackers currently in Barcelona's squad. Those who know Messi well claim he can play anywhere across the front, but prefers to cut inside from the right onto his stronger left foot. The player has spent the past few weeks of unemployment on a boat in Ibiza with his family, and is expected to be unveiled to the Catalan faithful in the coming days. Barcelona now face a race against time to register Messi in time for the new La Liga season. Whether they can shed enough money from the wage bill before their opening game against Real Sociedad remains to be seen.