Barcelona are wanting to extend their greatest player’s contract. Amid all the talk, the player has made a decision on his future at the club.
Barcelona thumped Real Betis to win 5-2 in La Liga. The side won its first domestic outing after four winless results that included two losses. Lionel Messi proved decisive as he passively set up Antoine Griezmann before scoring twice himself. However, the Argentine’s future at the club is still looking unclear and a decision may have been made.
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According to reports, the 33-year-old has decided to leave the club once his contract comes to an end. Messi’s demands should he stay do not revolve around just a better deal with better payment but are much broader in the interests of the club. The Argentina international will stay at the club only if the Blaugrana manage to build a winning project.
While the upcoming Barca board will certainly have ambitious plans and will need to bring about major changes, all signs point towards the project taking a couple of years at the very least. Rescuing Barcelona out of a crippled financial situation will be the first and foremost objective and in such a case, they will not be able to spend lavishly on signings.
Manchester City are already waiting in the wings for Lionel Messi and a reunion with Pep Guardiola remains on the card in England. The Citizens will be able to fulfil all of the Argentina international’s demands and more than money, the player seems focused on wanting ambitious teammates around him which he will certainly get at the Etihad.
From his perspective as well as the club’s, going different ways may be the best option right now. In the last few years, Messi has dealt with enough strength against an incompetent Barcelona board and would definitely want to have a stress-free end to his career. On the flipside, the club can save a major portion of its wage bill and spend it on new recruitments.
On a scale of 1 to 5, how likely do you think Messi is to stay at Barcelona?