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.
The only way to make Messi stay now seems to be by bringing in additional forces and talent on the team. The relentless pursuit of star striker, Lautaro Martinez, now also seems to be in dangerous waters with his release clause expired. If the Catalans now fail to unite the two Argentine nationals, they may very well bid adieu to Leo Messi.
As a final attempt to salvage the situation, the Catalan side is ready to part with 2 talented players in exchange for just one. In order to secure Neymar this season, the Catalans have left no stone unturned and these difficult times have made them desperate to sign the Brazilian and recreate the MSN trio. The arrival of Neymar could be the only thing stopping Messi from walking out the door at this point and to make this happen the Spanish side are ready to part with 2 megastars.
Antoine Griezmann and fellow countryman Ousmane Dembele have both had their share of ups and downs with the club and could be saying goodbye to the Blaugrana shirt. While Griezmann was brought in with a record 120 million euro signing, the 29-year-old forward has had only a few bouts of success too far and between to impress the board who are now looking to part ways with him, using his sale to secure Neymar, which could be the perfect solution to keeping Messi at Camp Nou.
Young Dembele, on the other hand, has been victim to recurring injuries that have taken a toll on him and his performance. The 23-year-old has managed very few appearances this season and has failed to create any lasting impact that would persuade the hierarchy to keep him on.
With the Catalans looking to cut their losses and bring back Neymar who also desires a return, this could be a very lucrative deal for the Parisiennes as they gain 2 talented Frenchmen at the loss of one player who is very reluctant to stay on anyway.
Would you trade Dembele and Griezmann for Neymar?