Barcelona Transfer News: Huge Lionel Messi and Neymar Exit Rumours
bleacherreport.com By
Matt Jones
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| Manu Fernandez/Associated Press |
It’s almost unsettling to imagine Barcelona icon Lionel Messi
in the colours of any club team other than the Blaugrana, but there’s
never been a more realistic chance of the 28-year-old leaving the Camp
Nou, according to reports.
Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Guillem Balague relayed those details, telling Revista Bitesize (h/t Sky Sports), “It is the closest he's ever been to leaving Barcelona. It doesn't mean he will, but it is the closest he has ever been to leaving the club.”Graham Hunter went on to note that an ongoing investigation into the player’s tax activities, which could see Messi jailed for up to 22 months if found guilty, may have made the forward more open to a potential move away from Catalonia.
Hunter touched upon the accusations Messi sought to defraud the Spanish tax authorities as a factor that could be pushing him out the door:
The climate, not just at the Camp Nou but in Catalonia, is probably enough to make him and his family scratch their heads and wonder.
I guess at his age... maybe you start to look at your next move and you think your next move at 28 is vitally important.
Do I stay? Do I look at pastures new? I wouldn't pretend to know what he's going to do but at this stage of his life and with Barcelona run in the way that it is, I think it's a story of merit. It's something I guess you and I will be talking about for months to come.
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| Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press |
But Barcelona club president Josep Maria Bartomeu recently said anyone who believes these rumours should be “embarrassed,” per Marc Williams of the Daily Star. According to Sport, the Blaugrana want Messi to retire with them and are preparing a new contract for the forward despite an extension only being agreed in May 2014.
Most of the club's supporters are sure to be delighted to hear talks could be imminent over a new deal. Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez doesn’t feel as though there is much to the stories linking Messi with a move away anyway
Indeed, losing Messi could be catastrophic for Barcelona and they’ll be hoping the situation surrounding his tax activities is resolved swiftly, allowing him to get back to full fitness. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is stories will continue to swirl about his future.
Encouragingly for Barcelona, the club’s other two attacking crown jewels, Neymar and Luis Suarez, have stepped up in the absence of the Argentina international. However, the former has also been linked with a move away from the Camp Nou.
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| JOSEP LAGO/Getty Images |
Neymar has been superb since Messi picked up his injury.
As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, with Messi currently sidelined with injury problems, Neymar has stepped up in emphatic style.
Even though Messi will be the main man in Catalonia for a while yet, there have been few signs from the Brazilian that he’s unhappy with this dynamic. It seems as though Neymar enjoys playing alongside a genuine great of the sport and his game has improved massively over the course of the last couple of seasons as a result.
Eventually Neymar will have eyes for becoming the finest footballer in the world, but there’s no reason why he can’t do so at Barcelona. There will come a day when Messi will either leave or have his role reduced in significance, and the club’s current No. 11 is arguably the finest candidate in world football to fill such a massive void. see more
