The Barcelona star free to negotiate with other teams come January.
The elephant in the room for all the Barcelona presidential candidates is deciding what to do with regards to Lionel Messi. The greatest player in club history only has six months left on his current deal.
Yet, there appears to be no sense of urgency regarding his future and no one on either side seems to be communicating with each other.
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According to Mundo Deportivo, neither Barcelona, the presidential candidates or potential teams interested in him have yet to speak to Messi.
The last known statement by Messi to the club about his intentions was the burofax he sent which was him basically handing a transfer request. Publicly, he later gave an interview explaining why he wanted to leave the club.
Other than those two instances, he’s been silent which leaves some to assume that his intentions have not changed. That he is still set on leaving Barcelona.
A couple of the presidential candidates have come out to say they believe Messi wants to stay but needs to be shown a serious sporting project. Joan Laporta and Victor Font, the two favorites, have both said they will try to convince Messi to stay.
However, Xavi Vilajoana, former board member under Josep Maria Bartomeu and now presidential candidate, has said he will stand in the way if Messi’s final decision is to leave.
"“I do not care if it is better for the finances if Messi leaves. But, it’s clear if a player does not want to play in a team, the team suffers. If he still wants to leave, we won’t stop him. And we will say goodbye with all honors.”Source: Mundo Deportivo"
Messi will have the final say about his future. His mind seemed to be made up before the start of the season. The club are in rebuild mode both on and off the pitch. Given his age, he might not want to be part of a rebuild.
In any respect, communication from the club or any of the presidential candidates needs to start soon. Losing arguably the best player in the world without anyone speaking to him is not going to be a good look for anyone involved.