Barcelona to be sued by player after premature termination of contract

Brazilian player Matheus Fernandes is one of the casualties of FC Barcelona's desperate attempt to offload as many players as possible in their bid to accommodate Lionel Messi back into the squad. However, the player is not simply accepting the club's move to prematurely terminate his contract, which was originally valid until 2024.

The midfielder, who moved to the Camp Nou last summer, only suited up once for the Catalan outfit. He spent most of the season on loan to Real Valladolid before being taken out of the roster a few weeks ago. Regardless of the circumstances, he believes that his contract was wrongfully terminated by his employers. According to Mundo Deportivo, he is planning on filing a case against the cash-strapped club.

The expiration date on Matheus' contract is set on June 30, 2024, and the player fully intends to collect the salary he is owed for the duration of the agreement which the club effectively ripped up this summer. Apparently, the player was informed of his dismissal via email and he does not fully understand what transpired.

He has reportedly been assured that there are offers for his services on the table. He is the first victim of what Barcelona is also trying to pull off with Samuel Umtiti and Miralem Pjanic. They are terminating existing contracts to make it easier for the players to find other clubs

There is reportedly an offer coming from a French club, another from Greece and lastly from the Brazilian's former club Palmeiras. However, none of these deals are guaranteed as of now, and Barcelona have ended up with a case at their hands.

The club is racing against time to offload as many fringe players as possible, and they are also putting valuable squad members on the chopping block in order to drastically reduce their wage bill. If they are unsuccessful, they will not be able to meet Messi's salary demands for his contract renewal and comply with La Liga's financial fair play regulations at the same time.