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In light of the recent wave of criticism surrounding Lionel Messi's decision to leave Barcelona, president Josep Maria Bartomeu vowed to leave his post if it meant that Messi would stay with the club.
According to TV3 in Catalonia, the controversial Barcelona management figure “would agree to step aside and let his board end the term” while calling for new elections, which were slated for March 2021 after Barcelona lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
TV3 noted Bartomeu would only go to these lengths “if Messi publicly states that the problem is the president” — otherwise, he's staying to finish out his term.
“Per club policies, it is considered that the player should communicate why he wants to leave.”
Journalist Veronica Brunati noted that Lionel Messi is slated to make an announcement regarding his future and face the Catalan press in the next few hours, telling his side of the story after sending a burofax to the Camp Nou on Tuesday.
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Only minutes later, Brunati tweeted that Messi and Manchester City had agreed to terms, only to delete the tweet shortly after.
https://twitter.com/barcacentre/status/1298984600933294080?s=20
Lionel Messi's father, Jorge, had been spotted in Manchester on Wednesday, reportedly working out the kinks of a new deal. Manchester City reportedly had traced a deal that would land Messi on a three-year deal, and facilitate a move to sister club New York City FC should he want to play for an MLS club at the end of his football career.
Whether Josep Maria Bartomeu quits or not is expected to be irrelevant at this point — that much has made known through multiple reports since Tuesday. Brunati punched it in even more, noting that Messi's decision is a build-up after feeling like he hasn't gotten the support from Barcelona directive for a very long while.
