Reports: Seven Barcelona superstars reject pay-cut proposals from the club

It's no secret that Barcelona's financial situation has been on the decline for a while now, with the club having amassed an incredible amount of debt over the last few years. The Blaugrana have spent over a figure of €1 billion on new players since 2014, and currently find themselves in a challenging position given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Current club chief Josep Maria Bartomeu has been much maligned for the club's current struggles, and there have been attempts made to oust him right away, even before the scheduled election process at the Nou Camp.

In what is the latest problem in a host of issues at Barcelona, Bartomeu has proposed a pay-cut for the players in order to help ease the burden of the financial crisis on the club, which has not been received well by the players.

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Revealed: The seven players to reject Barcelona chief Bartomeu's proposal

Griezmann and Messi are among the players who have rejected a pay cut

As per Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona stars Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto, Jordi Alba, Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezman, and club captain Leo Messi have rejected the proposals of a pay-cut with the prospect of longer deals.

It was reported recently that Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Frenkie de Jong, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen have all signed new deals with Barcelona. These deals included a pay cut between 30 and 50%, but to compensate for this, they have been offered more extended contracts. While Barcelona attempted to provide the remaining players a similar arrangement, they were said to be against it.

83 - Clement Lenglet is the 83rd different player to score for Barcelona in the Champions League (excluding own goals) - they have had more unique goalscorers than any other side in the competition's history. Variety. pic.twitter.com/gNFP5fiSEE

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 8, 2020

In fact, while the Blaugrana attempt to find a solution for this issue, football agent Josep Maria Orobitg — whose clients include Sergi Roberto and Sergio Busquets — has reportedly cut off all contact with the club.

Leo Messi is also said to be furious over the club's attempts to try and enforce pay cuts on their players, with a specific report claiming that the Argentine has brandished these attempt as 'embarrassing'.

1 - Barcelona are the first team ever to have two goalscorers aged 17 or under in a single Champions League match (Ansu Fati and Pedri). Future. pic.twitter.com/FoXmfyNhI0

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 20, 2020

He has the support of several other players as well, and has sent a letter to the board calling them out over their actions in the recent past.

Elsewhere, it has also been reported that should these pay cuts continue to be enforced, the Barcelona players can mutually terminate their contracts with the club in 2021 and walk away.

They could do so either in January or in the summer of 2021 should Barcelona persist with their efforts to enforce a pay cut.

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