“Ended up favoring the exit” - Barcelona did not renew Lionel Messi’s contract due to demand set by his camp, claims media baron who funded Laporta
Jaume Roures, the former CEO of Mediapro, has claimed that Barcelona could not renew Lionel Messi's contract because of the demands of the Argentine's camp. He said that they had a deal agreed, but things changed after disagreement on sporting demands and new signings.
Speaking in an interview with Cadena SER, Roures alleged that the only reason for Messi not staying at Barcelona in 2021 was the player's camp. He believes that the club were not to blame for the exit to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and it was not all down to the economic condition of the Catalan side.
He said:
"They were discussing whether to wait for Messi to return from holiday in Miami or whether to take someone there to sign the contract. Economic and personal reasons came together and I wouldn't put my hand in the fire to tell you which was more important of the two. But, in any case, it seems to me that there were not only economic reasons."
He added:
"They told Barça that they had to sign him and there were people who read that badly. They read it as a misplaced pressure and that clash that ended up favoring the exit due to sporting demands and the signings. When Messi flew from Ibiza to Barcelona, he came back convinced that he was signing."
Lionel Messi won the Copa America in the summer and was keen on staying at the club. Sergio Aguero revealed that the Argentine was desperate to announce his decision during the summer tournament.
Former Barcelona presidential candidate also believes Lionel Messi could have stayed
Victor Font, who ran against Joan Laporta in the Barcelona presidential race, stated in January 2022 that the club had enough resources to keep Lionel Messi at Camp Nou. He told El Chiringuito TV that the club were not interested in keeping the Argentine and that led to the exit.
He said:
"We could have renewed Messi's contract. The club had no plan for him, everything was improvised."
In another interview with SPORT, Font dismissed reports that Messi was a financial burden for the Catalan side, saying:
"He's an asset to the club. I celebrate as much as anyone that the people running the club now coincide with what we thought. It is a shame to have lost these months, but we have to congratulate everyone for the fact Xavi is finally leading the sporting project."
Lionel Messi ended up joining PSG for two seasons and then moved to Inter Miami last summer, after rejecting a return to the Catalan side.