One bad season and all the bad, hate and ugly come out. Suddenly, Lionel Messi is over the hill and Barcelona are facing disaster. Believing transfer rumors isn’t the smartest thing to do, especially those suggesting that the best footballer in the world might actually be sold to the likes of PSG and Manchester City.
According to El Confidencial some people in the board don’t want to give Messi that contract extension he wants that will make him the highest paid footballer in the world. Too many shady things have happened in the Barcelona boardroom and financial dealings recently, most notably the Neymar deal and the whole youth transfer issue that at the moment means Barcelona are banned from signing players over the next 12 months.
So will Manchester City and/or PSG actually pay the €250 million it is necessary for someone to sign Messi? If FIFA Fair Play wasn’t an issue, I’m pretty sure we would have seen some teams make that kind of offer for Messi. In the past, it would have been an automatic no, but suddenly, with the Barcelona future not looking as promising as in the past, who knows what’s actually happening behind the scenes, and which power figure is pulling in a certain direction.
But unless there’s some sort of grand conspiracy against Barcelona, Manchester City and PSG shouldn’t come out in perfect shape from the inquiries into their dealings, which might make a colossal offer for Messi seem less than likely at the moment. Unless Barcelona are in really bad financial shape, there seems to be no sense whatsoever to even entertain the idea of selling Messi. The transfer ban means they need to use the players they have in the squad, not to mention Messi’s deal ending in 2018.
Bad seasons and disappointments always bring out the worst in journalism and fans. Messi hasn’t had a super season, just a good one, and has disappeared over the last three matches, maybe the most important of the season for Barcelona. Naturally, it brings out those willing to turn the tables at the first sign of discord and trouble, but even though rumors will always be around, selling Messi, even for that sum, doesn’t make much sense.