Blaugrana’s former president has revealed he is seeking reelection to ensure a six-time Ballon d’Or winner doesn’t leave Catalonia.
According to Joan Laporta, Lionel Messi has been “lied to repeatedly” by Barcelona, 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 is raging in the run-up to January’s transfer window.
The Argentinian is free to negotiate a pre-contractual deal with potential suitors when the market reopens, with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City reportedly ready to get his signature.
Messi pushed for a transfer over the summer before making a dramatic turnaround, but he is now approaching the last six months of his current deal and time is running out for Barça to tie a precious asset to new terms.
Ex-Camp Nou president Laporta says the 33-year-old deserves the assurance of a competitive new project, with the current squad considered below the required standard when it comes to winning the most prestigious trophies in the game.
“I’m sure Messi wants to continue with Barca,” said the Spanish politician ESPN. “It depends on the proposal the new president makes to him.
“He needs to make sure there is a competitive team to revive the love story that Barça had with the Champions League, but that has been on hold for the past few years.
“[The club] have lied to him repeatedly and, moreover, things have not turned out the way everyone wanted. He is at a point in his career where he still wants to be successful and win titles.
“He cannot continue to accept that other teams will win the Champions League and Barca, with Lionel, the best player in the history of the game, does not have a team that is competitive enough to win it.”
Laporta, who recently announced his candidacy for the next set of presidential elections in Barcelona in January, believes he is in the best position to convince Messi that he should endure his playing days in Catalonia, as he had already gained his full “confidence” during his first spell in the club.
“I don’t see Messi in a shirt that doesn’t belong to Barca,” he said. “The story between him and the club is so beautiful that the president-to-be is obliged to make sure it continues. I don’t see him playing for another club. I see him in the Barca shirt.
“In addition to reversing the club’s financial situation, the priority is to make a proposal to Lionel that convinces him to stay. I hope I will arrive on time. And I have an advantage: Messi’s confidence.
“He knows that the offer I am making will be real and I will fulfill it. I think that will help a lot and be an advantage over the other candidates.”
Laporta also dealt with Barca’s precarious financial position during the coronavirus crisis, with the club’s debt reaching nearly € 500 million (£ 459 million / $ 611 million) before the resignation of previous president Josep Bartomeu in October.
“The club is on the brink of bankruptcy,” he added. “That’s one of the reasons I’m running. I did the same thing in 2003 to turn around a delicate situation. The size is much bigger this time, but the structure is the same.
“The situation is difficult, but despite everything we are [the football club] that provides the most income. But we will have to find socios [club members] work in certain areas that can help us generate even more.
“The contingency plan we have is strong and I am sure it will work. The message is optimistic. We can turn the situation around by cutting spending. We are also studying debt restructuring.”