Barcelona presidential favorite Joan Laporta accused Paris Saint-Germain of trying to ‘destabilize’ the Catalan club, opposing quotes from Leandro Paredes that suggested the French club ‘were trying to sign’ Lionel Messi.
Messi is without a contract this summer and his situation has become one of the dominant issues ahead of the club’s presidential elections in March. Laporta, who established himself as the favorite to succeed Josep Bartomeu, has been clear in his intentions to keep the captain at the club.
Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, David Alaba …
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– 90min (at 90min_Football) 25 January 2021
But that didn’t stop the transfer rumor from going haywire, with the big clubs appearing to take turns leading the queue for the Argentine. Manchester City and Inter have been closely linked before, but after PSG sporting director Leonardo hinted there was a ‘seat at the table’ for the Barca legend, the French club became the flavor of the month.
Ties only intensified earlier on Monday when Paredes, an international teammate for Messi, appeared to reveal that the club intended to bring him in.
The midfielder told Corriere dello Sport: “It’s up to Leo to come to the club, because PSG are trying to convince him.
“To be able to be coached by a coach from your country and to have the opportunity to play with Leo is a great opportunity. I hope that will happen. ”
It is not clear what Paredes actually knows about the intricacies of the club’s transfer operations, but in any case Laporta was an exception. He highlighted their difficult financial situation as something that makes a deal improbable and called on the French champions to refrain from trying to “destabilize” Barcelona.
In an interview with Spanish television which has since been portrayed by AS, he said: “I have read that PSG are experiencing financial losses and we are already discussing the possibility of taking these investments.
“In any case, I would ask them, with respect, not to destabilize Barcelona. We haven’t done anything to make them say they plan to sign Messi while we’re in the middle of the season. I don’t think this is fair.
