How will Leo Messi affect Jordi Alba's Barca goodbye?
The left back is leaving after 11 years at Camp Nou
Jordi Alba will leave Barça this summer and will not complete the remaining year of his contract. His departure also coincides with that announced a few days ago of Sergio Busquets, meaning that two of the captains of the squad will not continue to play for the Blaugrana next season. On the other hand, these two cases coincide with the definitive departure of Leo Messi from PSG, so the breeding ground for a reunion between the three is being conjured.
Especially because for weeks there has been a dizzying offer managed by the Saudi football federation itself and valued at a figure of around 400 million. In principle, the club most interested in acquiring the Argentine is Al Hilal, although it is not the only one. In that sense, there would also be a potential ploy convincing Sergio Busquets to follow the same path as the '10', and now also Jordi Alba.
The truth is that Jordi Alba's entourage has denied the possibility of the player heading to Saudi football for family reasons, although the truth is that something is moving around him. In addition, the option of reuniting with the player who is currently his team-mate and who was his team-mate until two seasons ago is an incentive that, beyond the economic one, can make anyone's initial plans change.
However, there is another much more attractive option from Barça's point of view. Jordi Alba, in his last season, would have become the highest-paid player in the squad, above even Robert Lewandowski, so the club, with his departure, would free up wage bill that would help to comply with the Fair Play imposed by La Liga. And, in that sense, the possibility of Leo Messi fitting into the planned expenditure is now higher.
Both options are on the table, although, as Xavi Hernández said in a statement that went somewhat unnoticed and probably hides the key to the whole thing, "it's up in the air, it depends on many things. There is little more I can say, he is a spectacular player, I am friends with him and we will see if it can happen or not, it depends a lot on his intention".
