Barcelona rejected the investment opportunity presented from La Liga that would have allowed them to register a new contract with Lionel Messi beyond this summerThe economic vice-president of Barcelona has claimed that the club were correct to reject the “poisoned gift” that would have allowed them to keep Lionel Messi beyond this summer. Barca did however have the opportunity to receive an immediate injection of cash this summer through an external deal from La Liga with investment company CVC. The Catalan giants were one of four La Liga member clubs - alongside Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Real Oviedo - to reject the offer. The club’s economic vice-president Eduard Romeu has now confirmed that the league’s proposal would have allowed them to tie down Messi to a new contract, but Barca opted against it. It was an operation that as a club we could not afford, it did not fit into our economic structure.

Source: Daily Mirror September 22, 2021 15:11 UTC