The Barcelona star’s contract expires in the summer of 2021.
The future of Lionel Messi hangs over like a dark cloud on Barcelona. His contract is set to expire in the summer but the Argentine is able to talk to other teams come the turn of the new year.
The Catalan side are left between a rock and a hard place. Do they sit down with Messi and his representatives to agree on an extension, do they sell him for a fee or do they risk losing him and getting nothing in return?
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Those are the questions the next Barcelona president will need to answer.
More importantly, who the next president is will play a key role in whether or not Messi decides to stay.
According to ESPN, Messi is waiting to see who wins the upcoming election before making a final decision.
The two leading candidates, Joan Laporta and Victor Font, both believe that they can convince Messi to stay.
"“Leo knows,” Laporta said, “He knows what I think. I can only imagine him in a Barcelona shirt and I’ll do everything possible to ensure he continues. I know Leo and what he’s interested in is winning.”Source: The Guardian"
Messi famously sent a burofax to Josep Maria Bartomeu and his board, informing them that he wanted to leave the club. It was a decision that Laporta said he saw coming because of the frosty relationship between Messi and the previous directors.
While Laporta believes his relationship with Messi could play a role in getting him to stay, should he win, Font believes presenting him a strong sporting project would work just as well.
"“Im convinced that with a competitive, exciting and, especially in Messi’s case, long-term project — one that could even go beyond the day that Messi retires — we will convince him to stay,” Font said.“Messi is the best player in the history of the No.1 sport in the world. Imagine what that means. For that reason, the Messi-Barça association is a strategic one and we must do everything possible to guarantee the association lives on.”Source: ESPN"
The wild card that Font seems to be shuffling is that of Xavi Hernandez. He has long since stated that should he become president, the former club legend will take over as manager. He hopes having Xavi as manager will also help in convincing Messi to stay.
The presidential elections are still more than a month away. Both candidates should have plenty of time to present their projects and their vision for the club going forward.
Barcelona find themselves in an institutional crisis. Whoever is elected is set to inherit a number of problems both on and off the pitch. However, resolving Messi’s situation at the club, one way or another, is sure to be high on the list no matter if the president is Laporta or Font.