GERARD PIQUE has revealed Barcelona’s plot to ‘seduce’ Lionel Messi into staying at the Nou Camp.
Messi, 33, is out of contract in June and is free to discuss terms with other teams from January.
Lionel Messi tried to force his way out of Barcelona in the summer after the disappointing 8-2 Champions League defeat at the hands of Bayern MunichCredit: Getty Images
Gerard Pique believes Barcelona need to ‘seduce’ Lionel Messi into stayingCredit: Getty Images
The Argentine and Barcelona all-time top scorer requested to leave the club after the demoralising 8-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich last season.
Premier League duo Manchester City and Chelsea were linked with moves for the attacker.
Messi would later decide to stay after it was made clear that he would not be allowed to leave the club for free.
Barcelona team-mate Pique, however, has urged Messi to stay at the Nou Camp and hopes the club can ‘seduce’ him to stay and see out the rest of his playing career.
Speaking at a question and answer session for the CRIS Cancer Foundation, Pique said: “We hope he stays. It’s a personal decision. We will see. But as long as he’s wearing the Barca shirt, there is always hope.
“We hope to seduce him to stay for many more years.”
Any discussions of a new deal will have to wait until January when a new president is elected, after Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned in October.
Victor Font and Joan Laporta are two of the favourites to succeed Bartomeu, but they’re faced with one of the toughest tasks from minute one of their presidency; convince Messi to stay.
Lionel Messi paid tribute to the late, great Diego Maradona after scoring in the 4-0 win against OsasunaCredit: Getty Images
The club has got off to a horrible start in the league, they sit eighth after nine games and nine points behind league leaders Real Sociedad.
And Messi was rested in the thumping 4-0 win away at Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League, with Ronald Koeman hoping he comes back fresh and ready to help Barca get their league campaign back on track.
Speaking on Saturday ahead of the weekend’s game, Koeman said: “Messi had a good break this week, as did Frenkie de Jong.
“Both had played nearly every minute for us this season, in addition to many games with their national teams.
“The can’t keep going and going and going. To avoid problems, we left them at home in midweek.
“But we will need them (against Osasuna).”
And Barca indeed needed them, and the rest clearly did Messi the world of good.
Barcelona smashed four past Osasuna with Messi getting on the scoresheet, and to celebrate Messi took off his shirt revealing a Newell’s Old Boys shirt in memory of the late, great Diego Maradona.
Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font say Messi is critical to the club’s future
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
