"We could put a one euro buyout clause on Messi and he wouldn't leave"

In comments to the programme 'El Rondo' on 'TVE', the president assured he has still not met with Jorge Messi, the player's father, to talk about the matter. "I want him to sign for life, he has been here more years than he has in Argentina and I don't imagine a Barcelona without Messi," insisted Bartomeu.

On the topic, the Barca president considers that his case would have to be like Pele's, who spent practically all of his career at one club, Santos.

April 15, 2019

During the interview, Bartomeu referred to the following topics. 'EFE' has compiled a list of all of them.

Chances of winning the league:

"La Liga has not been won yet, we couldn't win on Saturday and that was two points dropped. We have to keep on working. The earlier we win it, the better. We have a big April and May ahead of us."

The dream of the second treble:

"Be the president to win the treble twice? You can't dream about things like that. We make teams to compete to the best of our ability. First we have to think about Tuesday's game with Man Utd."

The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo for Juventus:

"For the La Liga brand, for what it symbolises, it was bad news. He went to another league. It was not good news for those of us who think about football at a global level."

Objetive of the Champions League:

"The semi-final is the objective which we set at the start of the season. United have got better over the season and they will be a difficult opponent. We have to win tomorrow (Tuesday). The Champions League is a very clear objective. La Liga is the main objective, it is the competition which attracts us most, the one where you have to be good week in, week out."

Guardiola's City or Juve's Cristiano in the final?

"It is not the time to talk about a final. I am not superstituous, we are not scared of anybody, neither managers nor players. We could meet anyone, but we have to be cautious."

Relationship with Florentino Perez:

"It's courtesy of the clubs to congratulate us when we win. To win three Champions Leagues in a row is a record, a very important acheivement. We congratulated them at the time. We are rivals with Real Madrid on the field of paly, but we have common economic interests because of sponsorships, brands..."

Would Guardiola return to Barca?

"He is at City, he has a very long contract and we have a good coach. Would I call him if I needed to? Yes, I would. We try to be very competitive every year, we always show confidence in our coaches, although the coaches also leave (Guardiola, Luis Enrique).

Real Madrid's season:

"They have been unlucky and they have been eliminated from the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. They will come back and will once again be one of the great rivals next year."

Griezmann?

"It is a topic which I don't have to respond to. He has a contract. Will he play for Barca? The decision is always the player's, remember the Neymar situation. In general, the players are in big clubs and it is difficult to change. In any case, the Griezmann issue is not on the table because the meetings (with the technical staff) to plan for next season have not taken place yet. Neither Griezmann nor his inner circle have called Barca."

De Ligt:

"We won't speak about the future until the end of April or beginning of May. In the case of (Frenkie) de Jong we did it early because we wanted to do it in summer, but there was a lot of pressure because of the large number of clubs interested. With Ajax we have historically had a good relationship. Do I like De Ligt? He is young, serious and he has a way of playing which adapts very well to our type of football."

Coutinho: 

"He is an excellent player, very good. He is getting better and better with the team. He has the confidence of the coach and one of the great world stars. He is a different player and he has a contract."

Rakitic:

"I had a conversation with him to speak about a pay rise, but still nothing has been decided."

Umtiti:

"We renewed him before the World Cup, he has got four years left and he has been out for a while."

April 15, 2019

Who will leave?

"Someone always leaves, but nothing has been decided yet. It won't be decided until May."

Neymar?

"It is not possible (for him to return to Barca) because we have made another proyect with Dembele and Coutinho with the clause that was paid. Now Dembele is better than Neymar. He is a better player for me. Will Neymar go to Real Madrid? The players decide on the footballing career they want."

Retaining talent from La Masia:

"The talent in football is scarce. We explain to the youngsters the sporting career they could have, we have faith in them."

Espai Barca, renovation of Camp Nou:

"We are in negotiations to be able to sell the naming rights of the Camp Nou, but we are not in a hurry because it will be a contract for the next 20-25 years. We will not sign quickly, we will be patient."

Relationship with Gerard Pique:

"We see each other in the club and outside of it. Not long back we had dinner together. He is having a magnificent season. He is the captain of the team. Did I get annoyed by the Griezmann documentary? He told me beforehand, I wasn't annoyed. We spoke about it at the time."