BARCELONA are set to supply Lionel Messi a ‘job for all times’ to maintain the Argentine celebrity out of the clutches of Manchester Metropolis.
Presidential candidate Victor Font revealed he plans to offer Messi, 33, a place ‘past the times he’s on the pitch’.
Barcelona might supply Lionel Messi a ‘job for all times’ to maintain him on the Nou CampCredit score: Getty Pictures – Getty
The Catalan giants’ skipper is ready to go away the membership when his contract expires on the finish of the season having spent his total skilled profession on the Nou Camp.
Messi had expressed a need to go away final summer time and fell out with former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, however made a dramatic U-turn after refusing to take his beloved side to court to force an exit.
Manchester Metropolis had been linked with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner and SunSport revealed last week that Pep Guardiola is keen to try again in January.
Nonetheless, Font has warned the Citizens off Messi because the presidential frontrunner seems to be to safe the ahead’s long-term future amid the likelihood he might depart.
The 48-year-old advised the BBC: “Clearly we all know that is a risk as a result of he stated he needed to go away final summer time, however we’re hopeful.
“The elections are coming in 60 days and we could have a brand new board and a brand new president and a brand new undertaking.
“What Messi wants so as to keep on the membership is a aggressive undertaking. He desires to win – clearly the shortage of a undertaking in current instances has affected the best way we compete and due to this fact I am very a lot hoping that every time the brand new president takes over, hopefully will probably be us, we are able to persuade him to remain.
“For us, the affiliation between Barca and Messi may be very strategic. He is been on the membership since he was 13 and we consider that this affiliation must go even past the times that he is on the pitch [post retirement].
“We consider that this affiliation has plenty of potential for the years to come back and we’re hopeful that if we current this to him and his workforce he’ll see this as alternative.”
When requested about the opportunity of Metropolis signing Messi, Font added: “Each time Pep Guardiola speaks about this, he says it very clearly that he believes that Messi ought to keep at Barca and that he is a Barca one-club man.
“He needs that he finishes his profession at FC Barcelona.”
Messi was disillusioned with Barcelona after the membership surrendered their league crown to El Clasico rivals Actual Madrid and completed final season with an 8-2 humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Messi – who has scored 640 objectives in 742 video games for Barca – was unable to safe a free transfer away in the summertime after failing to determine that his launch clause had not expired.
And the Blaugrana have endured a tough begin to the brand new marketing campaign, struggling their worst begin to a season for 29 years as they sit tenth in LaLiga after eight video games.
Metropolis might additionally supply him a long-term function inside their Metropolis Soccer Group to assist lure him to the Etihad.
Messi missed Barca’s 4-0 Champions League win away at Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday after being rested by boss Ronald Koeman.
Man Metropolis’s homeowners have added a tenth membership to their secure after shopping for Troyes
