TRANSFER NEWS…. TRANSFER NEWS….
Lionel Messi’s father, who also act as his agent Jorge Messi has hinted that his son could still remain at Barcelona beyond this summer.
Jorge and his entourage met with Barcelona board for showdown talks on Wednesday.
Messi stated last week he would love to leave the club in the wake of 8-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.
His father has told Mediaset that talks with Barcelona went “well”, with there still a chance that an agreement can be reached which allows everyone to remain in their current surroundings.
Quizzed on whether a six-time Ballon d’Or winner could remain with the Blaugrana until the end of his current contract in 2021, Jorge Messi replied with “yes”.
Barca will be hoping that an unwelcome transfer can be avoided at this stage, giving them time to work on convincing their captain that he should prolong his association with them – rather than take on a new challenge elsewhere.
Ronald Koeman has expressed a desire to keep a world-class performer on his books, having inherited an ageing squad from Quique Setien, and it may be that the Dutchman gets his wish when this stunning saga is brought to a close with the status quo in Barcelona maintained.
Meanwhile, Luka Modric, the Croatian tormentor-in-chief of the Super Eagles at the Russia 2018 has described the potential exit of Lionel Messi from Barcelona as a huge loss.
Surprisingly, Modric plays for the rival Real Madrid. He has admitted that the Argentine cult hero will be missed in La Liga.
According to Spanish publication, Tribuna, Modric remarked that he understood Messi’s position in the transfer saga.
“It would be a huge loss,” the Real Madrid midfielder told AFP. He likened the situation to the vacuum Cristiano Ronaldo created when he left Real Madrid.
“Like when Cristiano left… But you can’t think about the past. It’s football and that’s it.
“If it happens it will be a huge loss for the prestige of the league. But we need to go forward. Other players will become stars.
“When Ronaldo left, the same thing happened, the life of Real Madrid went on without him and it will be the same for Barcelona and La Liga without Messi.”
