Lionel Messi could still leave Barcelona should his relationship with the current board not improve, that is the believe of the club's former president.
The 33-year-old has less than 12 months to run on his current deal at the Nou Camp and is currently mulling over the prospect of a new contract.
Current president Josep Maria Bartomeu is confident that, despite their current differing views, Messi will see out the remainder of his career in Spain.
However, Joan Laporta is not quite as convinced and has warned that the Argentine could yet feel his future lies elsewhere.
‘’I want him to stay in 2021 but I am scared that a bad decision of this board could result in an irreversible decision,' Laporta said of Messi at an event at Sant Joan de Deu hospital on Wednesday, as per Goal.
‘'It's not BarcaGate, it's BartoGate, I am worried about how the status of the club is being put at risk.'’
Laporta, who sat as Barcelona president between 2003 and 2010, went further in his attack on Bartomeu, questioning why former midfielder Xavi would want to return to the club to work under him.
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‘If I was Xavi, I would never be back with this board,' Laporta said.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
