“Tension is normal” – Barcelona vice president on negotiating with Lionel Messi’s father before talks ended

Barcelona and Lionel Messi parted ways this summer due to the club’s inability to tie the Argentine to a new contract amid their financial crisis.

The Blaugrana‘s vice president, Rafa Yuste, has spoken about Messi’s departure, revealing that he and the board talked to the player’s father. He explained:

“I showed him [Lionel Messi’s father] the club’s [financial] situation, that when we arrived we thought it was a bad one, but that when we were already negotiating we found out that the economic situation was not bad but a technical failure.”

“In all the negotiations, and especially with the people you’re speaking with and love a lot, there are different phases where tension is normal, positive tension, of course.”

Yuste continued:

“When both parties want to continue together but you see that, for many reasons, in this case due to the [financial] fair play of La Liga, it will not be possible and it is difficult for the other party to understand it, it is normal that there is [tension].”

Barcelona had indeed reached an agreement with Lionel Messi to continue at the club for the next five years. However, they couldn’t tie the forward to a new contract due to La Liga’s wage cap and the Financial Fair Play rules in sight.

Hence, both parties were forced to end their 21-year association, with Messi leaving to join Paris Saint-Germain, where he bagged a lucrative two-year deal.

The Catalan giants, on the other hand, had to switch their attention to their summer signings, which included Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona missing each other

It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that Barcelona and Lionel Messi have been mere shadows of themselves since the 2021-22 campaign kicked off.

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Messi has had a difficult start to life in France, going four games before scoring his first PSG goal. Adapting to a new system and an unfamiliar environment hasn’t been easy for the 34-year-old, even though he looks set to hit the ground running very soon.

Barcelona have also endured a torrid campaign so far, without Lionel Messi making the difference in attack. The Blaugrana have won just three of their nine games across all competitions. They currently rank ninth in La Liga and stand the risk of failing to qualify for the Champions League knockout phase.