BARCELONA – Lionel Messi has not yet received an offer from another club to leave Barcelona and continues with the idea of waiting until the end of the season to decide whether to renew his contract with the Catalan club or whether he is looking is to a new one. adventure away from Camp Nou, sources close to the footballer ESPN have assured.
The Argentina international ends his contract with Barcelona on June 30 and has been free to negotiate with other clubs since January 1 last year. However, the same sources indicate that he wants to stay away from rumors circulating about his future to try and help Ronald Koeman’s team through the rest of the season and will wait to talk to the new president, Joan Laporta. to start assessing. his decision.
In fact, his father and representative, Jorge Messi, is still in Argentina and still does not have a specific date on which to travel to Barcelona, despite several reports from the past few days suggesting that he was already in Europe to study the various alternatives.
Manchester City tried to sign him last summer and both the club led by Pep Guardiola and Paris Saint-Germain are keeping an eye on the Argentinian’s situation.
However, several sources consulted by ESPN assure that Messi has not yet received an offer from those clubs, nor does he have a proposal to renew his contract with Barcelona.
However, Laporta wants to audit the club’s economic situation before handing over a formal offer to the Argentinian.
The manager made it public last Wednesday that he wants to convince Messi to continue during his official proclamation as the new president.
But the president is aware that he will not be able to offer Messi the same conditions he has today due to the Catalan club’s delicate economic situation.
The COVID-19 pandemic left the entity with few economic arguments, which saw how, with no fans in the stands, income plummeted until the club was left in an alarming situation.
Catalan club Barça closed the 2020-21 season with a turnover of 855 million euros, far from the 1,047 million foreseen in the budget, a circumstance that led to the closing of the final figures with 97 million euros in losses after taxes. For the foreseeable future, the club foresees losses, as the crisis is still dormant and the vault at Camp Nou is still suffering badly.
The new president has always been optimistic but cautious about the player’s renewal. Laporta even said before the election that Messi’s only option to continue at the Nou Camp was if he was chosen because of the good relationship he has with the footballer.
Laporta had great moments with Lionel Messi during his first term as president between 2003 and 2010. In fact, Messi signed his first professional contract in 2005 with Laporta and then the Argentinian star signed 4 more extensions in September 2005, January 2007, June. 2008 and 2009 to improve your contract.
Sources close to Messi reveal to ESPN that the Argentinian wants to avoid another soap like last summer because one of the things he values most is discretion. For this reason, the Argentina international, who turns 34 in June, wants to stay away from rumors to stay focused on helping his teammates fight for the La Liga title and win the Copa del Rey final that they will be against him. play. Athletic Club on April 17.
Messi had a tough few months at the start of the season, but has regained his confidence in recent months to become La Liga’s top scorer, with 21 goals in 25 games.
Barça’s locker room sources assure they see Messi happy with a Ronald Koeman who has also managed to turn the team’s situation around after a difficult start. The Dutch coach has managed to win over the Argentinian by competing against each other and showing that what he tells him in private, then takes him onto the field.
The dedication to young footballers is to the liking of a Messi who has found a good partner in Pedri. In addition, he also gets along well with Ilaix Moriba and that his relationship with Ronald Araújo is very special.