The future of the Argentine has been a hotly debated topic in recent weeks, with his contract due to expire next June. As such, from January 1, Lionel Messi is free to negotiate to other clubs.
Messi is on the wrong side of the bed
Agusti Benedito, the presidential candidate of Barcelona, has admitted that the Catalan club will not be able to financially compete with PSG if they come in for Lionel Messi. The future of the Argentine has been a hotly debated topic in recent weeks, with his contract due to expire next June. As such, from January 1, Lionel Messi is free to negotiate with other clubs. “We all would like him to continue at Barcelona,” Benedito told reporters. “He is the best player in the world. I heard Messi say that he wanted to leave Barcelona last summer, and that decision is not made because he is on the wrong side of the bed.”
Beware Messi and Neymar
“So, the first thing that he will have a change point of view, because if we have to fight with any other club in Europe that has their eyes on Messi… if the question is economical, we are not going to be able to. When I heard Neymar say that he wants to play with Messi, I said: ‘Gosh, beware of these guys’ because PSG belongs to Qatar, which organizes the World Cup, which has a dictatorship with its club… If Paris Saint-Germain wanted him, economically we would not compete. Hopefully, the day will come when Messi will say that after 20 years at Barcelona, he wants to continue”. The 56-year-old has analyzed the current situation at Barcelona, placing much of the blame on ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his board.
Emili Rousaud made an excellent impression on Benedito.
“Barcelona are going through a challenging economic and financial situation,” Benedito said noted. “It is a great disruption what the previous board did at Barcelona. It is a very urgent issue. I would say they have carried out a shocking plan. It will take three to four months to make decisions that we already have very clear, and they will be essential”. When quizzed on the Espai Barça project, Benedito said that he would not go ahead with plans because of the club’s financial situation. “I did not know Emili Rousaud; he made an excellent impression on me,” Benedito said. “He publicly stated that he was interested in talking with other candidates. I know that he spoke to others and to me. But here we defend different ideas about Barcelona, but we disagree on vital issues.”
“We have to ask for the responsibility from Bartomeu’s board, who left Barcelona in the same state as it is. Everyone here is defending the Espai Barca project, which is worth more than € 700 million and gave an architectural solution to the Camp Nou issue. . If I win and have the honour of being elected by the members, I will not do it. This is not a minor issue. It is a bad thing for the club; it makes no economic or operational sense. It’s hard to come to terms with other candidates for things like this.”