Barcelona attempt to sign Neymar by offering two superstars
Barcelona gives Paris Saint-Germain their final offer for Neymar Jr.
With Messi’s exit threat looming over Barcelona, after his frustration at the Board and management, the Catalans are doing everything they possibly can to keep the Argentine beyond the 2021 season.
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Messi has been very displeased with how Setien and his team have been managing the players and has been further aggravated after club’s Sporting Director, Eric Abidal, tried to falsely blame the squad for Valverde’s sacking and other managerial problems at the club. This brought on a rare, public outrage from Leo who took to social media to express his anger.
The last straw for the forward seemed to be the lack of quality in the dressing room and the excessive dependence the team has on him. It was after this that the player’s father, Jorge, was reported stating that the only way Messi would reconsider his exit is if Barcelona bring on former teammate and midfielder, Xavi Hernandez, as manager.
At one point, when Barcelona held talks with him, fans were hoping for his return especially after rumors about negotiations surfaced. The big concern the Spaniard had was current club President Bartemou; he stated clearly that he would come on only after a new Presidentship at Barca that gave him the autonomy to sign the talent he deemed fit to bring success at Camp Nou. This, however, seems out of the realms of possibility now as Xavi has decided to stay on at Al-Sadd signing a contract extension for the 2020-21 season.
Barcelona tried to then persuade the Argentine to stay on, by approaching former manager Pep Guardiola to come on after this season. The City manager, however, is uncertain and might choose to remain at City unless his 2 conditions are met. Firstly, similarly to Xavi, he doesn’t want Bartemou’s presidentship and he wants Xavi as sporting director in place of Eric Abidal. This lethal duo seems out of question now with Xavi staying on at Al-Sadd meaning Pep might also stay at City and continue his astounding reign on the Premier League side, despite the Champions League ban.