Messi’s contract with Barça expires in June and he will be able to leave the club as a free agent
The president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, Is convinced that Lionel Messi will stay at the club and said that everything is progressing well, although close sources have pointed out to ESPN that the board has not yet offered a new contract to the striker.
Messi’s contract with the Barça squad expires in June and he will be able to leave the club as a free agent if he does not sign a renewal under new terms.
Laporta, who was elected for a second term as Barça president in March, has always expressed his desire for Messi to stay at the Camp Nou, but will not offer him a new contract until an audit is carried out. internal club finance.
A report released this Friday suggested that a first Messi offer had been made this week. Sources close to the Catalan club and the player denied this information to ESPN, but Laporta showed optimism ahead of the King’s Cup final that the team will play this weekend.
“Everything is going well,” Laporta told Esports Quatre before flying to Seville, where Barça will face Athletic Bilbao tomorrow.
“I will do everything within the club’s capabilities to keep him. That is what we are doing. Messi is motivated. He is an extraordinary person and I am convinced that he will want to stay at Barça.”
Messi, 33, wanted to leave the club last summer after an 8-2 defeat in the Champions League against Bayern Munich, but the situation has changed since then.
One of his main problems was his relationship with former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who has now been replaced by Laporta, who was at the helm of the institution when Messi made his debut in the first team.
In an interview in December, Messi said he will wait until the end of the season before deciding his next move. Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City are following the Argentine’s situation.
In addition to the economic offer, Laporta will also have to convince Messi by assuring him that he can build a team capable of competing for the Champions title next season.
On this front, Laporta has already met with representatives of Erling Haaland to discuss a possible deal. Sources have told ESPN that Barça are working on an agreement to sign Haaland, but that financially it will be a very difficult agreement to reach.
“Everything that needs to be done will be done and we will make sure it is done well,” Laporta added when asked about the chances of signing the Borussia Dortmund striker.
“We have to work hard to build a competitive team for next season. But [ahora] the priority is to win the final [el sábado]”.