JOAN LAPORTA has been elected as Barcelona president for a second time – and hopes to keep Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp.
The 58-year-old, who enjoys a good relationship with Barca’s star man, won the vote to see off rivals Victor Font and Toni Freixa and bag the top job.
Joan Laporta celebrates his victory in the Barcelona electionsCredit: Reuters
The supremo is returning for his second spell as president of the Catalan giantsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Laporta previously held the top position at the club between 2003 and 2010.
The LaLiga side tweeted out the final results, with Laporta amassing 54.28 per cent of the vote.
Font came home in second with 29.99 per cent, with Freixa on 8.58 per cent.
Footage showed the three candidates embracing at the vote, with Laporta congratulated by his beaten opponents.
Of the result, Freixa said: “I want to congratulate Laporta for this victory, which does not need further discussion.
“We must now support our president. High [voter] participation legitimises him.”
And his election win could bring fans some hope that star man and six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi can be persuaded to stay at the club.
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Laporta ramped up the pressure on his rivals by claiming superstar Messi is ready to pack his bags unless he was voted in.
The Argentine is also out of contract in June and is set to leave having grown disillusioned with life on and off the field.
Messi currently pockets around £500,000-a-week at Barca, a deal that has become unsustainable with the club’s finances crippled from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Daily Mail claims that Sergio Aguero has been earmarked as a potential new signing by Laporta – and he hopes to pair him up with Messi in attack.
City’s all-time top scorer Aguero, 32, is out of contract in the summer and available for free.
And with talks over an extension yet to take place, the Argentinian has stated he will wait until the end of the season to decide his future.
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Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta slams PSG for Messi transfer pursuit
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
