Joan Laporta wants Barcelona to break the bank over Lionel Messi’s contract extension

Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has called on the club to pay whatever it takes to secure Lionel Messi’s future at the club.

Laporta is bidding for return to the top job at the Camp Nou, having previously served as club president between 2003 and 2010.

He will go head to head with his rivals in the proposed March elections, as the Catalan giants look to find a permanent successor to Josep Bartomeu.

Securing Messi’s continuation at the club is likely to be Laporta’s main campaign message and he believes the club cannot afford to be outbid for the 33-year old.

“You cannot be stingy with the best player in the world,” he told an interview with L’Equipe as reported by Marca.

“His continuity at the club is a priority issue and all efforts will have to be made to keep him.

I believe in Leo and he believes in me. He knows that I will fulfil my commitments but he felt cheated by the previous management.”

Messi attempts to leave the club last summer were blocked by the club due to his expired release clause at the end of the previous campaign.

That incident opened up a fractious relationship between the Argentinian international and the club’s hierarchy and he has confirmed he will wait until the summer to make a decision on his future.

Despite turning 34 ahead of the 2021/22 season, Barcelona are determined to retain their talisman and could offer him an open ended contract offer to keep him at the Camp Nou.

Tags Joan Laporta Lionel Messi Ronald Koeman

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