Lionel Messi has been the number one target for a few elite clubs since the first time the Argentine mentioned that he wanted to leave Barcelona. Clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Inter Milan were linked with the legend but only the French club openly talked about trying to acquire the player. Now presidential candidate, Joan Laporta, has taken offense to the comments and says he will take action against the club if he is re-elected.
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The Barcelona captain in August sent in an official fax stating that he would be leaving the club. He had a clause in his contract which allowed him to leave the club at the end of the season for free, however, ex-president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, threatened the player with legal charges and Lionel Messi withdrew his request. He instead chose to honor the last year of his contract but now he has only six months remaining and clubs are once again swarming the player.
One club that has been vocal about the player and can actually afford him is the French Champions, PSG. The club’s sporting director addressed the rumors surrounding Messi in an interview by saying,
"“Great players like Messi will always be on PSG’s list,”Source Goal"
Laporta threatens PSG for Lionel Messi talks.
This has apparently rubbed off former Barcelona president, Laporta, in the wrong way. Laporta who was the president of the Catalan kings from 2003 to 2010, has come out with a statement saying that the way PSG has courted Messi is unprofessional and disrespectful. In a recent press conference, he said,
"“It is disrespectful to Barca that clubs like PSG publicly say they are going to sign Messi. This coming from a club-state that have bypassed the rules. We cannot allow clubs and states the luxury of destabilising another club.”Source Goal"
He further went on to say that he intends on speaking with FIFA and UEFA about the French club’s conduct if he is elected as the president. The presidential election has been moved to March 7th so it will be a while before he can officially take any actions.
Do you agree that PSG claiming to sign Messi is disrespectful?