Lionel Messi has been made convincing promises to, by one of the next presidential candidates in former chief Joan Laporta.
Josep Maria Bartomeu’s tenure as Barcelona head coach will be remembered as one where he oversaw a treble win, but the 57-year-old’s highlight may well be the controversy that ultimately ended up keeping Lionel Messi at the club. With an exit in 2021 looming large, the next candidate in Joan Laporta has given assurances to the player.
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Laporta has promised to develop a coherent project at the Camp Nou once he is elected, as seem imminent, and bring about key changes. The former president supervised one of the club’s most historic eras, which was arguably the best of the bunch. With that said, he already has plans on keeping Messi with major changes, Diario GOL claims.
The Spaniard has assured a change in the dugout irrespective of how Ronald Koeman’s performs. Xavi will be appointed head coach next season and will be supported by the presence of Carles Puyol in the sporting director’s role. A return for Pep Guardiola also is on the cards in case he ends up leaving Manchester City at the end of this season.
Next, there will be several marquee signings at the club. Kylian Mbappe, Marco Verratti and Sadio Mane are just a few names on the list of potential additions for the next summer. A defensive rebuild is something that the Blaugrana need as well, but with Laporta investing his knowledge and money, one can trust that to go smoothly as well.
Finally, he will get rid of all the flopped signings. Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho have done no good since arriving for over 100 million euros each and will be shipped out, if they fail to perform this season. Samuel Umtiti will also be shown the door given that his injury issues are now proving to be a liability for the club.
Do you see Lionel Messi staying at Barcelona beyond the end of his current contract?