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Barça coach Ronald Koeman has not given up hope that Lionel Messi will be at Camp Nou next season, but he is not overly optimistic.
Ronald Koeman says he has “hope” but “does not trust” that Lionel Messi will remain at Barcelona beyond the summer.
Messi is out of contract at the end of the season and has been strongly linked to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
The 33-year-old wanted to leave at the end of last season after the club ended without a trophy and fought with then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Messi agreed to stay the last year of his contract when Barça rejected his request and he’s impressed with Koeman, scoring nine goals in his last 10 games.
“I still do not see Leo Messi with another shirt,” says Koeman, but the boss is not sure that the star will stay
But Koeman is I am not convinced that a happier Messi this season will lead him to stay with the club in the long term.
“I’m not sure about that“Koeman told The Athletic.”I’m hopeful yeahAbout this because he is still a great player and he continues to win games for us, for the team.
“I enjoy being your coach, if you look at his qualities every day in training, it’s incredible.
“Of course, he came to Barcelona as a child. I still do not see Leo Messi with another shirt that is not that of Barça. “
Messi reached 650 Barça goals in Sunday’s 2-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao.
After the game, Koeman said that Barcelona “cannot aspire to much” without Messi, reflecting on a leak from El Mundo that claimed that the agreement their captain signed in 2017 is worth more than 555 million euros.
Koeman was delighted to get the Barcelona spot before 2020-21, but he reflected on how difficult it had been to immediately handle Messi’s saga, which was already underway and has continued ever since.
“It was a difficult moment because he is still the best player, but he was angry about some situations in the club“Koeman added.
“And he was not happy to be in a team that lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.. Of course, he was angry, he had to go, he wanted to leave the team.
“First of all, what I said to the club was: ‘Okay, it’s not my problem. It is a problem between the club and Leo Messi. And you have to solve that‘.
“Finally, the club said: ‘We don’t do a transfer for him. He needs to stay. ‘ It was a difficult time for Leo but he finally accepted it. “
Koeman: “Nobody knows what will happen in the future”
Koeman has I had no problem with Messi’s attitude.
The former Netherlands manager added: “I spoke to him at his home before we started the season and I made plans with him and he was very excited.. I knew he had some problems with the club and I was out of it.
“I said to Leo: ‘I’m very happy if you stay. If you don’t stay, it’s your decision and it’s what you have to handle with the club. If you stay, you will be part of the team and this will be your position to bring out the best in yourself. ‘
“Little by little he accepted that situation. And look at how he’s playing in recent weeks, he’s really into the club, in the team. But nobody knows what will happen in the future. “
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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