Obviously, Ronald Koeman has enjoyed having the world’s best player on his side since his arrival at the Nou Camp. While the Argentine did hand in a transfer request before his arrival, it was eventually denied by the club and La Liga, as according to them Lionel Messi had another year left on his contract.
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Lionel Messi has now almost served that remaining year and is potentially going to make an exit from the Nou Camp in the summer. The 33-year-old has been heavily linked to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain ever since he handed in that transfer request.
The former Everton manager has weighed in on this situation. Messi has been a key part of Ronald Koeman’s plans for Barcelona so far. The Argentine has performed brilliantly again this season providing many assists and scoring many goals. Hence, to no one’s surprise, the manager has stated that he would love to have Messi stay at the club.
The Dutchman stated that he would love to have the maestro stay at the Nou Camp for “many more years” to come. The Argentine has not yet made any official comments on his future yet. According to Goal, the 33-year-old is reportedly waiting for the season to end and the summer transfer window to arrive in order to make a decision. These same reports suggest that the 6 time Ballon D’or winner is completely focused on Barcelona and the ongoing season with them and that he is not bothered about the media speculations.
While the former Southampton manager has stated that he would love for Messi to continue to play for the club for many more years, he has also stated that the decision is for the Argentine to make himself. He has stated that he will respect whatever decision the Blaugrana legend takes and that he will adjust to managing the team with or without him, in the future.
Would you like to see Messi retire at the Nou Camp?