"I had to put Barcelona above Messi, we were broke"

Undoubtedly, Leo Messi's departure was one of the most important events in football in 2021 and even in recent decades. The Argentinian ended a 17-season career at Barca in the worst possible way, joining Paris Saint-Germain.
That is why the figure of Joan Laporta will be remembered as the one who failed Leo Messi and his family after agreeing a renewal that never happened. The president recalled the goodbye of the '10' in an interview granted to 'Cadena SER'.
"I had to put Barca above the best player in the history of football. In those moments of economic ruin I couldn't keep him. I think it was the best thing for the club. Right now he is a PSG player and I prefer not to talk about him. We are focused on Barca. Leo will always be part of our crest and I would like him to have a different ending to the one he had," he said.
He then went on to review the past market and referred to players who were mentioned in the summer: "We won't pay 80 million for Bernardo Silva. We'll see how he does at City, for the moment we have Lewandowski who is doing very well." He also spoke about Busquets and his possible replacement.
"Neves is a great player, but this is part of private talks. Busquets will not last forever and there are internal discussions to find a guaranteed replacement for him. Frenkie de Jong can play in this position, but it won't be enough with just one player. This will be decided by Xavi Hernandez," he said.