Lionel Messi is untouchable and non-transferable: Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu on Tuesday said that club's captain Lionel Messi wants to end his career at the Catalan giants and will be the pillar of Ronald Koeman's project, who is set to be next Blaugranas coach.
After humiliating 8-2 defeat in Champions League quarterfinals to Bayern Munich, there were speculations of Messi wanting to leave Barcelona was sky high but Bartomeu put all the rumours on rest.
"Messi wants to end his career at Barca, he has said that many times. I've spoken to Koeman about him and he has told me Messi will be the pillar of his project," Bartomeu said in an interview with the club's official television channel.
"Messi has a contract with Barca until 2021. I speak to him and his father regularly and they know that we have a solid project, that a new coach is coming and that he will count on him."
The Barcelona president also talked about the big transfer rumours regarding PSG star Neymar and Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez.
"Going for a player [Neymar] when the club he is at doesn’t want to sell him is impossible. Last summer we tried. It is normal. Big clubs want great players.
We’re not in talks... right now [with Lautaro], we’ve stopped the negotiations with Inter at the end of June. We’ll see what will happen."
Bartomeu claims that the Argentine superstar is untouchable and non-transferable. The 57-year-old also listed the players who will not be put on the market in the transfer window this season.
"Messi is untouchable and non-transferable. He knows it, we all know it. But there are various non-transferrable players like Ter Stegen, Lenglet, Semedo, De Jong, Griezmann, Dembele. They are players who we count on a lot and who have come to spend many years at Barça."
