Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman admits he is not confident that Lionel Messi will remain at Camp Nou next season.
Many fans will remember the crazy two-week period towards the end of August 2020 as City were reportedly in talks to sign Messi with the Argentine star pushing for a move away from Barcelona.
However, the six-times world player of the year eventually decided to stay in Spain for the coming season, the last on his current deal, as he did not want to face a legal battle with the club he joined as a teenager and with whom he has amassed more than 30 major trophies.
The mercurial Argentinian forward could still leave Barcelona at the end of the season, according to the club’s manager Ronald Koeman.
Speaking to Alan Shearer on The Athletic – before details of Messi’s contract had been leaked in the Spanish media – Koeman gave his honest opinion of whether the best player at the club will stay beyond this season.
“I’m not confident about that,” he said.
“I’m hopeful, yes, about this because he’s still a great player and he’s still winning matches for us, for the team. I’m enjoying being his coach, if you look at his qualities every day in the training sessions, it’s incredible. Of course, he came as a young kid to Barcelona. And I still don’t see Leo Messi in another shirt other than the Barca shirt.”
While it’s a lot more likely that Messi will remain at Barcelona beyond this season, it’s certainly not a foregone conclusion. Six-time Ballon d’Or winner is now free to talk to clubs outside Spain about a summer move, with his contract at Barcelona expiring at the end of the season.
