"Laporta wants to save his reputation because he let Messi leave"

BeSoccer 2 years ago 1.7k |

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Laporta out to save his own skin. EFE

Ronald Koeman, coach at Barcelona, fanned the flames surrounding the president of the Catalan club, Joan Laporta. Koeman stated that if Laporta wants Messi to come back, it's for his own image, which was impacted heavily when the Argentinian didn't renew his contract and headed to PSG. The Dutchman sees the star playing with Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets in Miami or Saudi Arabia, far from Camp Nou.

Leo Messi will be out of contract on the 30th June and Camp Nou are dreaming of his return. No one thinks he is likely to stay with PSG, but the Argentinian is yet to announce his plans for next season.

'ESPN' asked Ronald Koeman what he thought about Joan Laporta's efforts to bring Messi back to Barcelona. "What he wants to save is his own reputation, because he's known as the man who let Messi leave", he stated.

The ex-Barca coach, however, doesn't think the Argentinian will come back to the Catalan side. "I don't think Messi will come back", he maintained. What's more, he linked the superstar's future with two other Catalan heroes: "Busquets will leave, and Jordi Alba won't stay either and the 3 are good friends. It wouldn't suprise me if they all went together to play in Miami or Saudi Arabia".

Regarding the economic situation, Koeman said he didn't understand "how they are going to renovate their stadium and how they are going ahead despite having so much debt".

"The players have to keep giving money and accept a contract that is normally much higher," he concluded.

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