Barça's Laporta: "I have spoken to Messi to redirect the situation"
The Barcelona president is working to bring Messi back to the Catalan club
Joan Laporta explained on 'Els matins de TV3' that he has spoken to Lionel Messi "recently" to "redirect the situation" that occurred in the summer of 2021, when he had "to put the institution ahead of everything, even him, the best player in the world."
After assuring to 'Jijantes' that "we will do everything possible to bring Leo back to Barcelona," the Blaugrana president has made it very clear that he has a good relationship with the Argentine star.
"I have spoken to Leo to redirect the situation that occurred when I had to put the institution ahead of everything, even him, the best player in the world. We have been sending messages to each other lately. The truth is that the conversation was affectionate and pleasant. I congratulated him on the World Cup. He is back. We've known each other for many years, there's a relationship," said the Barcelona chief.
🔴 @JoanLaportaFCB, president del @FCBarcelona_cat: "Messi és el millor jugador del món i evidentment qualsevol entrenador el vol entrenar"#ElsMatinsTV3
— Els matins TV3 (@elsmatins) 15 de mayo de 2023
▶ https://t.co/huouvxLLVE pic.twitter.com/EkCPcGn9jm
"With all due respect to Saudi Arabia, who are doing a very good job and investing in the league there, Barça is Barça. And Barça is Leo's home. Barça can compete against everyone. History supports us and the sentiment of our 400 million fans is so strong," Laporta added on the possibility of making a competitive offer to Messi.
Laporta once again acknowledged that "we want Messi," but warned "that we will not move in high figures to bring him in."
He said: "The club is on an austerity plan. We are working to build a very competitive team next season. We'll see if (the league) approves our viability plan."
