Lionel Messi has reportedly informed new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman that he has doubts over his future at the Camp Nou.
The Argentine was devastated after his team’s Champions League elimination from Bayern Munich and their 8-2 thrashing at the hands of the Bavarians, which prompted speculation about his future.
According to RAC1, Messi sees himself more outside than inside Barcelona in the near future, but he is aware that it will be difficult to leave the club as he has another year left in his contract.
The Barcelona captain interrupted his holidays to return to Catalonia and meet with Koeman to discuss about the team’s project for next season.
Messi will be the pillar of the Dutchman’s team in 2020/21, although the latter made it clear that he doesn’t want players who are not committed to the cause.
Barcelona’s absolute priority for the moment is to convince Messi to stay at the club, as Josep Maria Bartomeu doesn’t want to go down in history as the president who let the best player in the history of football go.
Unfortunately for Bartomeu, it seems as though the Argentine is closer to leaving the Camp Nou than ever before.
Barcelona have known about Messi’s standpoint for a few days now, but they’d hoped that Koeman’s chat could turn things around.
Tied down
Due to the fact that he still has one year left on his deal, Messi cannot leave Barcelona without the club agreeing to the move.
The release clause in the forward’s contract remains 700 million euros and, while clubs like Inter are interested in signing him, they won’t pay this kind of money.
However, Inter themselves are convinced they can put together an offer to persuade Barcelona to sell, which would probably include their own players.
This changes everything
Messi’s decision to seek a move will have a major impact on Barcelona’s project for the coming season and those that follow it.
The club have to immediately start planning for life without their talisman in the event he does end up leaving this summer.
If Messi is sold for a high price, this money could be used to fund a move for another top player to take his place.
The problem for Barcelona is that there aren’t many players like Lionel Messi out there, if any.
