Lionel Messi could miss Juventus vs Barcelona clash next month

Lionel Messi is yet to sign a new Barcelona deal and that could lead to him missing the clash with Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus next month. The Serie A side travel to the Camp Nou to face Barcelona for the Joan Gamper Trophy on 8 August.

Barcelona have already offered Messi a new deal and the Argentine has reportedly agreed to sign it. Reports suggest Messi has agreed a five-year deal that will see his wages cut by around 50%.

Getafe president Angel Torres' words on Lionel Messi are priceless. pic.twitter.com/EO0qH1GjeT

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) July 27, 2021

Barcelona were hoping to have Messi in their squad in time for their highly awaited clash with Juventus, but that plan may not come to fruition.

Unless the Catalan side manage to reduce their wage bill significantly, they will not be able to register Messi, and thus he could end up missing the match.

Barcelona confident of registering Lionel Messi before LaLiga starts

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is confident of getting Messi's contract situation sorted before the start of the new season. He revealed in a recent interview that talks are progressing and that the club will soon be able to register new signings and offer Messi a new deal.

🇦🇷 Messi vs Ronaldo 🇵🇹in their most iconic international campaign pic.twitter.com/gqbOZQGJc0

— 🇲🇽 (@FutbolFax) July 27, 2021

"The player has always said he wants to continue and we are making progress with the negotiations. [club directors] Yuste and Alemany are working very well," he said. "It is a wish that we all have: we want Lionel Messi to continue at Barca. That he [will] continue for many years and that he can play with footballers from Barca."

"The players that we are incorporating can be registered. We know about the restrictions, which are motivated by the heritage we have. We don't have it easy, but they are working very well with La Liga. We must follow the rules. We are confident in reducing the wage bill or finding a formula that is acceptable to La Liga.

"We see goodwill on the part of La Liga and also its president. He is the first interested in having players like Memphis play for Barca, but there are rules and he wants them to be followed. We are trying to achieve the goal of registering players. The players are having a very good attitude."

Barcelona have already signed Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay so far this summer. However, their top priority remains tying down Messi to a new deal.