Josep Maria Bartomeu explains why he blocked Lionel Messi’s summer exit from Barcelona despite the player desperately wanting out

The summer transfer window was set for a massive surprise as Lionel Messi wanted to sign for Manchester City after growing frustrated with the way Barcelona was being controlled and managed by the board. However, the player’s attempt to sign for the Premier League club was blocked by the board and Josep Maria Bartomeu has come out to the media on why such a stern action was taken.

According to an interview with Mundo Deportivo, the president stated that Messi was meant to be part of the new project under Ronald Koeman. It was the club’s priority that Messi remains in the squad under the new management along with the fact that the player is bound by a contract until the summer of 2021 and he must respect that. Bartomeu went on to state-

He accused me of forcing his goodbye to save the accounts. Well no, we put the interests of the club ahead and we didn’t want to reinforce a direct rival

The president went on to state that the best possible option would be for the 33-year-old to retire at the Camp Nou as that would benefit the club, the players, and Messi himself.

Meanwhile, Manchester City has reportedly prepared their finances to accommodate Lionel Messi’s massive wage rate for the next season. The Sky Blues want to offer Messi a five-year contract with two years at the Premier League and three years with New York City FC which also belongs to the CityFootball Group.