At the moment. Barca are working on two plans. The first is to sign Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland. The second is to renew Leo Messi's contract. According to 'The Sun', that is their order of priorities.
The season is coming to an end and clubs are now building their squads for the 2021-22 season. There are several questions to be asked at Barca.
Who will be in attack next season? Leo Messi, the star player at the Camp Nou, sees his contract end in June. The club want him to continue and are working on his new contract, but they need to make sure they balanced the books before giving him a firm offer. President Joan Laporta does not want to offer him something he cannot fulfil.
In England, they are not so sure Messi will stay. According to 'The Sun', getting him a new contract is not the priority. The paper says Barca are focussed on signing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.
"Haaland is the future, Messi is almost the past," a source close to Barca reportedly told 'The Sun'. The club believe they must focus on a number '10' for the coming season.
That does not mean Barca do not want to give Messi a new contract. But if he wants to continue at the Camp Nou, the Argentine will have to accept a major pay cut, basically a 50% reduction.
Barca are doing everything possible to sign Haaland. The more than 100 million euros Dortmund are asking for him are not a problem for him moving to Barca. 'The Sun' believes Barca will be allowed to pay Dortmund over the course of five years.
Dortmund have made their stance very clear to Real Madrid and Barca, the two clubs most linked with him: they are not going to let him leave: "They already know his contractual situation and our position."