Agusti Benedito says salary reduction won't affect Lionel Messi

The Catalan giants have been in trouble financially due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen the club's fan store closed for the last few months.

The club confirmed last month that the players had agreed to take a pay cut worth €122-million for the rest of the 2020/2021.

However, should Messi sign a new deal with the club, Benedito claims the Argentinean will be excluded from any cost-cutting measures.

"We have to have a franchise player because of how the industry itself works," he said, as per Football Espana.

"Sometimes the player with the highest salary is the one who works out the cheapest.

"You have to have such a player and this reduction in the salary bill will always have an exception, which is the franchise player.

"He's a player who's spent more than 20 years at the club and loves Barcelona. I don't see another like him."

9- Philippe Coutinho (FC Barcelona) – £240 000-a-week

8- Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid) – £256 000-a-week

7- Koke (Atletico Madrid) – £270 000-a-week

6) Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) – £280 000-a-week

5) Antoine Griezmann (FC Barcelona) – £322 000-a-week

4) Frenkie de Jong (FC Barcelona) – £336 000-a-week

3) Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) – £350 000-a-week

2) Eden Hazard (Real Madrid) – £400 000-a-week

1) Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) – £580 000-a-week

Messi recently revealed that he will only decide his future at the end of the current campaign.

"I will not negotiate with other clubs," Messi said in an interview with La Sexta.

"I will wait for the season to end and in June I will decide."