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Messi will have to take pay cut to extend contract, says Barca presidential candidate Freixa

Barcelona presidential candidate Toni Freixa has warned that Lionel Messi will have to take a pay cut to extend his current contract.

Speculation over Messi's future has been raging since his decision to hand in a transfer request following Barca's humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in last season's Champions League quarter-finals.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner was subsequently linked with the likes of Inter, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain as he sought to trigger the unique release clause in his contract which allows him to leave Camp Nou for nothing at the end of each season.