Football news: Barcelona may be forced to sell Neymar

Barcelona may be forced to sell superstar Neymar in the near future if financial issues are not resolved, former club president Joan Laporta has sensationally claimed.

According to Laporta, the club’s main financial issue is that their wage to revenue ratio is too high to sustain and the club will be forced to sell one of their biggest superstars, most likely Neymar, in order to reduce the wage bill.

The club may not be able to make new signings in the January if the revenue is not increased, various Spanish reports have claimed. It is all the more surprising considering Barcelona is expected to announce record revenues of €608 million (AU $937.54 million) for the 2014-15 season.

The record revenues are expected to allow for signings in January but would not be sustainable in the long-term with both Neymar and Lionel Messi expected to have their contracts renewed in the near future.

"Barcelona's current situation is not very good and to even out Bartomeu's accounts he must sell players or other assets. The best solution is to sell big players. It has been said that Manchester United has been interested but that is the result of current mismanagement," Laporta told Radio Montecarlo, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

Barcelona has already endured two transfer windows without being able to register new players after being hit with a FIFA ban for breaking rules over the international transfer of minors. The senior team has been hit with injuries to key players like Messi and Andres Iniesta and will be looking to add reinforcements in the January window.

Messi, 28, was handed a contract extension in 2014 but is now expected to be offered another extension, which would see him stay at the club till 2020. Such a contract would see him end his career at the club he has played for all his life. The club is insisting he was happy to stay despite interest from the Premier League.

Neymar, meanwhile, still has three years left on his contract but attracted interest from Manchester United over the summer with the Premier League club even making a formal bid for the forward. Contract extension talks are set to take place early next year but Barcelona may be ultimately forced to sell him if revenues don’t increase substantially.

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