Lionel Messi has issued the board of Barcelona an ultimatum to meet his demands or he will not extend his contract that expires in 2021.
Lionel Messi has the Barcelona board on the tip of his finger as his contract runs out in 2021. The board is desperate to renew their captain’s contract and are ready to give in to his demands just for a contract renewal.
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The Barcelona captain has never been so vocal before about the situation at the club, it seems like the Argentine has given up on protecting the board and is deeply disappointed regarding the way the club is being led.
What the Argentine wants in the Camp Nou is a winning project that was promised to him ages ago, the Catalan team has failed to win the Champions League since 2014/15 and their arch-rivals have gone on to win it for a record three consecutive times since the final in Berlin.
Lionel Messi does not want more Copa del Rey trophies and La Liga medals, what the Argentine wants is another Champions League trophy to put him on par with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The captain’s first demand is to kick Eric Abidal out, the bad blood between the duo has gotten worse over the span of the season, as both the individuals have clashed over two occasions in the span of 8 months.
The second demand is to fulfil the winning project that was promised to him ages ago. In order to seriously compete in all the three competitions that the club plays in, a major revamp would be required along with several signings to compensate for the lack of squad depth. Lionel Messi believes that the addition of Lautaro Martinez and Neymar would fix the issue upfront and the addition of a stable right-back would help the club find it’s winning ways once again.
However, Don Balon claims that Lionel Messi does not favour Quique Setien, the former Real Betis manager in the span of three months has received criticism from the players over his decisions, such as playing an injured Samuel Umtiti over Clement Lenglet against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu that ended up as an advantage for Real Madrid.
Lionel Messi would prefer former Barca legend Xavi Hernandez in place of Quique Setien, Xavi Hernandez has won it all as a player and has several years of experience, apart from that the former Barca man knows the club inside out and can handle a dressing room filled with egos as well.
Surprisingly, Massimiliano Allegri has also been added to the agenda as a potential replacement. However, the Italian manager has a very defensive-minded approach that may not work with Barcelona and the players in general.
What is your opinion on Lionel Messi’s demands?