Lionel Messi to Manchester City: Barcelona chiefs conspiring to sell Argentine – according to former club president
JOAN LAPORTA reckons Nou Camp hierarchy want to get rid of star player with Pep Guardiola confident of securing signature
FORMER Barcelona president Joan Laporta claims club chiefs are conspiring to sell star man Lionel Messi.
And reports claim Manchester City are ready to pounce for the Argentine ace as he enters the final two years of his mega-money contract.
Messi is believed to have agreed a new five-year deal to stay at the Nou Camp, but he is yet to sign any papers and the club have so far failed to make an announcement despite securing the future of former Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United target Neymar.
Messi – who has also been linked with Chelsea – is claimed to be mulling his options in the Catalan capital following his recent sentencing for tax evasion.
And a move to the Etihad would see him link up with former boss and close friend Pep Guardiola, who took Messi’s game to the next level.
claims City chiefs are confident they can land the current Ballon d’Or holder should he leave Spain, with chief executive Ferran Soriano and football director Txiki Begiristain also familiar faces.
There is believed to be a growing sense round the Nou Camp that Messi could indeed be nearing the end of his 15-year career at the club.
And Laporta is convinced those behind the scenes are trying to force their key player out of Barcelona, with current president Josep Bartomeu’s failure to stand by Messi during his tax trial being a telling sign.
Laporta told Catalunya Radio: “There are certain powers who want Messi to no longer be a Barca player.
“The club has let the player down, the best player in history, the best player in the world. We have a president and board that didn’t accompany him when he had to testify in court.”
It’s not the first Laporta has criticised Bartomeu recently, claiming just last week that a new sponsorship deal signed with Qatar Airways will only bring in half the amount the president had promised during his election campaign.
Laporta said: “He lied, he said in his campaign he would sign a deal worth 60 million euros. I don’t understand this, there is always a shadow of suspicion with them.”