"The financial situation is terrible and worrying"
Barcelona's interim president said the club should have sold Lionel Messi in the summer transfer window to ease the club's financial woes.
The Catalan giants find themselves deep in financial turmoil, and interim president Carlos Tusquets feels they made a mistake in not letting Messi go.
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For much of the summer transfer window, the Argentine was linked with a move to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. He also reportedly stopped attending training, and sent a Burofax letter to the club's hierarchy announcing his attention to leave the Camp Nou.
At the time, Messi said he was feeling disillusioned with life at Barca - in particular, the direction the club was heading under former president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Bartomeu resigned in October, with Tusquets taking interim control of the club until the next board-level elections occur in January 2021.
Speaking earlier today to Spanish radio station RAC1, Tusquets made a number of bold statements that indicate just how perilous Barca's finances have become.
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He said: "Economically speaking, I would've sold Messi in the summer window.
"Both in terms of what you save on the wage bill as well as the money you make, it would've been desirable. But this is something the coaching staff have to consent to, and that's not my place."
Tusquets also said that Barca players will not receive their January salaries.
Messi is out of contract in June 2021. He is widely expected to depart the club on a free transfer, with certain sections of the media suggesting he will look to link up with former Barcelona teammate Neymar.
After PSG's recent 3-1 win over Manchester United in the Champions League, Neymar said he would love the chance to reunite with Lionel Messi.
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Neymar said: "What I would love most is to play with Lionel Messi again. For sure we have to play together next year!"
