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Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman is resigned to losing Lionel Messi to Manchester City next year.
Koeman has revealed how a candid conversation with the Argentine convinced him to focus on the Barça cause for one final season after Messi made it clear that he wanted to leave the Camp Nou to join Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.
Barcelona’s beleaguered president Josep Maria Bartomeu refused to accept the 33-year-old’s claim that he could leave the club for free, insisting that the £ 630 million release clause in his contract would have to be fulfilled in its entirety for it to go away.
But while Koeman has been delighted with Messi’s response, he has already accepted that he will not be able to work with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner beyond the current season.
(Image: REUTERS)
Koeman said: “I always had hope that Messi would stay this season. If he had left in the summer, I would have had a very different situation at Barça.
“He wanted to leave but the club was very clear about it. The purchase clause was so high, that not a single club in the world was going to pay that in these times.
“I went to his house and took time to listen to all the things he said. But I also explained to him that I had not been part of the problems he had with the club and I told him how I was going to work to change things.
“We ended up talking about soccer tactics. It ended up as a real football talk and that convinced me that he is a true lover of the game and still wanted to put everything he has in Barcelona “
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Koeman’s confession that he does not count on Messi beyond the current season is great news for City, which is looking to secure Guardiola’s future.
The Catalan is a close friend of the Dutchman since they were teammates on the Barça team that lifted the club’s first European Cup in 1992.
Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of the season after five years in Manchester.
And it is unthinkable that Messi agrees to sign for the Blues without Guardiola signing a new contract.
Koeman has been very impressed with the attitude and form of the Argentine.
Can Messi lead Barcelona to La Liga or Champions glory in what will likely be his last season at Camp Nou? Give us your opinion here.
(Image: REUTERS)
He added: “It was more a question of how I was going to put Leo’s mind in the right frame on and off the field.
“He had to do well as a person and as a player. When he came back to train, I could only see good signs. His attitude, his spirit, there was nothing I could criticize him for.
“It is still magnificent. The good thing about Messi is that when he sees a ball he has fun. The way you see things in a game is absolutely fantastic.
“Not only is he smart as a player, he also executes every action with the ball with the utmost perfection.
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