The former Barça president has revealed that he is seeking re-election to make sure that a six-time winner of the Ballon d’Or does not leave Catalonia
Lionel Messi has been “repeatedly lied to” by Barcelona, according to Joan Laporta, who says he is the only man who can convince the club’s captain to stay at the Camp Nou.
Speculation about Messi’s future opens before the January transfer window.
The Argentine will be able to freely negotiate a pre-contractual agreement with any potential contender when the market reopens, according to reports, such as Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, who would be ready for his signing.
Messi pushed for a transfer during the summer before making a dramatic change of pitch, but now it is close to the last six months of his current deal and the time is running out for Barça to tie a valued asset to new terms.
Laporta, former president of the Camp Nou, says the 33-year-old deserves guarantees for a new competitive project, considering that the current squad is below the standard required when it comes to winning the game’s most prestigious trophies.
“I’m sure Messi wants to continue at Barça,” said the Spanish politician ESPN. “It will depend on the proposal made by the new president.
“You have to see that there is a competitive team to reactivate the love story that Barça had with the Champions League, but that has been maintained in recent years.
“[The club] they’ve lied to him repeatedly and besides, things haven’t gone the way everyone wanted. He is at a point in his career where he still wants to succeed and win titles.
“He can’t continue to accept that other teams win the Champions League and Barça, with Lionel, the best player in the history of the match, don’t have a competitive team to win.”
Laporta, who recently announced his candidacy for the next presidential election at Barça in January, believes he is in the best position to convince Messi that he should see his playing days in Catalonia, as he has already won. his complete “confidence” during his first period at the club.
“I don’t see Messi in a non-Barça shirt,” he said. “The story between him and the club is so beautiful that the incoming president is obliged to make sure he continues. I don’t see him playing for any other club. I see him with the Barça shirt.
“In addition to reversing the club’s financial situation, the priority is to make a proposal to Lionel to convince him to stay. I hope to arrive on time. And I have an advantage: Messi’s confidence.
“He knows the offer I make will be real and I will fulfill it. I think this will help a lot and is an advantage over the other candidates.”
Laporta also addressed Barça’s precarious financial situation in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, with the club’s debt at almost 500 million euros (459 million pounds / 611 million dollars) before the resignation of former president Josep Bartholomew in October.
“The club is on the verge of bankruptcy,” he added. “That’s one of the reasons I’m involved. I did the same in 2003 to turn a delicate situation around. The magnitude is much bigger this time, but the structure is the same.
“The situation is difficult, but in spite of everything, we are [the football club] which generates more revenue. But we will have to find partners [club members] working in certain areas that can help us generate even more.
“The contingency plan we have is powerful and I am sure it will work. The message is one of optimism. We can turn the situation around by reducing spending. We are also studying debt restructuring.”