‘Messi’s Contract Was Agreed’: Laporta Speaks on the Argentine’s Failed Transfer

• Barcelona had planned to sign Lionel Messi upon his departure from PSG
• But Messi eventually opted to sign for MLS side Inter Miami
• Barcelona’s President, Joan Laporta has revealed the reason the Argentine did not sign for the Spanish club

Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta's second spell at the helm of affairs at the Catalan club has been fraught with difficulties.

Regardless of what appears to be a recent on-pitch progression for the La Liga champions, the ghost hovering over the club’s finances and other off-the-pitch activities has a stronghold on the club.

The club’s ever-lingering financial crisis was tagged to be the main reason it failed to secure the return of its former captain Messi, who unceremoniously left the Camp Nou in the summer of 2021.

But the Barcelona chief has recently come out to clear the air on how the events turned out.

Barcelona president opens up on Lionel Messi's failed return to Camp Nou

Football

Laporta on Barcelona’s Messi transfer

In a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo, Laporta was quizzed about how the situation panned out regarding the pursuit of the World Cup Winner. The Barcelona chief responded:

"We agreed, but everything has its time and sometimes the rhythms are different," Laporta told the Catalan media.

"The contract was agreed, but when La Liga gave us the authorization, Messi's father told me that Leo had had two difficult years in Paris, that he had suffered a lot and now he wanted to play in a league with less pressure.

"I told him it was perfectly understandable."

Messi has agreed to sign for MLS side Inter Miami after his Paris Saint-Germain contract expired, but Laporta maintains it was not Barcelona's choice not to sign him, but rather the player's decision not to rejoin Los Cules.

Further, reports from 90mins state that Laporta admitted he has not spoken to Messi since the Argentine opted to join Inter Miami this summer.

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Barcelona’s financial burden unchanged

Sports Brief, in another report, stated that Barcelona’s debt remains the same as when Lionel Messi left in 2021, with the Spanish champions still €1.35 billion in the negative.

Laporta returned to office as president of the Blaugrana in March 2021 and was charged with the task of restoring financial order at Camp Nou.

Little progress has been made since then, with the vice president of economics, Eduard Romeu, revealing to Cadena Cope that the club’s debts remain at €1.35bn, with that figure not taking into account the €1.5bn cost of the Espai Barca project that will be delivering major redevelopment of the club’s famous stadium.