Barcelona vice president Javier Faus has said it is very difficult competing with Chelsea and PSG when they are offering mammoth wages. He told German newspaper Handelsblatt: "A player always compares himself to the Premier League or the Bundesliga on a net basis. We have to increase our salaries greatly to still be competitive. So yes, we lose players just for the money."

Barca have managed to lure Luis Suarez and Neymar to the Nou Camp in the last two seasons but Faus says the Champions League finalists are constantly being outbid by other European giants.

Asked how difficult it is to keep hold of players like Messi, Neymar and Suarez in the current climate, he added: "It is challenging, but we will keep them.

"We have to adapt to the new market circumstances at the Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. We cannot just stand by. The players have a very short career and it is their right to get what the other clubs could pay them. We cannot say: Stay here, for half the salary."