Lionel Messi Iis Considered Not Going to Move for Reasons of Money

DBasia.news – Champions League Trophy, Neymar’s Chance to Win the Ballon d’Or 2021Spanish football expert Graham Hunter believes Lionel Messi is not motivated by money and will only leave Barcelona to join a team capable of winning the Champions League. The 2-8 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals looks set to be the catalyst for change at the Catalan club.

Ronald Koeman agreed in principle to replace the dismissed Quique Setien as head coach and defender Gerard Pique has said he is ready to leave the club while the presidential election has been advanced.

Perhaps the most significant impact of this disappointing Champions League exit is the report from Marcelo Bechler – the journalist who first broke Neymar’s story to PSG in 2017 – who claims Messi wants to end his 19-year relationship with Barca this summer.

“If he is motivated and fit, there are many reasons to argue he can be extraordinary for another three or four years, he just turned 33 in June,” Hunter said as quoted by Sky Sports, Tuesday (18/8).

Messi’s contract no longer has the free exit clause he had before, with every May of the last two or three seasons he has been able to tell the club he wants to leave for free.

“This board, as long as they remain in power, and I think it will last at least until March, will not want to be tainted by being the one who let Messi through, and tarnished for being known as the council that failed to bring out the best of Messi’s last golden years,” he added.

Hunter argues that clubs that want La Pulga will be asked for 100 million euros for a 33-year-old player, and maybe one or two people will be willing to pay for it, but Messi will likely think about staying.

“He doesn’t want to go to get more money or just to get out of the chaos that is going on around him, he wants to win the Champions League. The parallels are very complicated to know how he is going, or where he might go,” he said.

“Of course, he is waiting to see developments (regarding the board and manager) and whether he believes it will make a difference for him to stay and win at Barcelona,” he concluded.