Barcelona & Paris Saint-Germain Transfer Rumors: Barcelona Denies Lionel Messi Rumors
FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu denied that the club is planning to sell Lionel Messi to French club Paris Saint-Germain.
Bartomeu said in an interview with L'Equipe that he is aware of the rumors linking Messi to PSG, but he insisted that they are not planning to part ways with the 27-year-old superstar.
The Argentine international still has four years left in his contract. According to Bartomeu, they will continue to build their team around Messi, while also adding that the star forward's current contract will not be his last with the club.
"It's not true," Bartomeu said of the soccer transfer rumors about Messi via ESPN FC. "Never have we had this type of discussion about Messi. In April or May I said that we would make radical changes but with Messi as the leader. He's under contract for the next four years, and it won't be the last with Barca. He's still young and ambitious."
Previous rumors also indicated that Messi had talks with PSG before he signed a new deal with Barca. Bartomeu said that he is not aware whether or not the rumored talk between PSG and Messi is true.
"I have no information that Messi might have spoken to PSG," Bartomeu said. "We're opponents on the pitch but also off it, with regard to sponsors and players."
Messi, who has already scored five goals and tallied seven assists in seven games in all competitions this year, will look to lead Barcelona to a win against PSG in the UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday at the Parc Des Princes in France.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique, whose team opened their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win over Apoel Nicosia, believes that Messi will play a big role for their club.
"I still think he is an amazing player, a decisive player," Enrique said of Messi. "He is scoring and giving assists and also doing things he is perhaps not recognized for so much, like pressing and defending. He is the number one in the world in many different aspects of the game."
For the latest sports news, follow Latin Post Sports on Twitter.
FOR MORE SOCCER TRANSFER NEWS, CLICK ON THIS LINK TO VISIT LATIN POST.COM'S SPORTS PAGE.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!