Barcelona will have to pay Lionel Messi's loyalty bonus of £30million (€33million) next summer even if he leaves the club.
Messi's future at Barcelona remains uncertain, with his current contract set to expire at the end of June next year.
As reported by ESPN, when Messi signed a four-year deal in 2017 the contract included a £60million (€66million) loyalty bonus.
Messi received half of that bonus in February and he is set to receive the second half when his contract expires, irrespective of whether he remains at Barcelona.
If Messi had left Barcelona earlier this year then he would have given up the second half of the bonus.
The 33-year-old submitted a transfer request but ended up staying at the club.
Barcelona need to knock £170million (€190million) off their wage bill in order to deal with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The club are in discussions over wage deferrals with a number of employees, including the first-team squad.
So far this season Messi has scored six goals and provided four assists across ten appearances.