Former Barcelona president breaks silence on Messi exit and wage restructuring: 'It was possible to renew his contract' | Barca Universal

"If they had done what needed to be done, it would have been perfectly possible to renew Leo Messi's contract and sign players. It wasn't the legacy's fault, but rather 'financial fair play', because the new board inflated the losses to €555 million."

"When La Liga received this, it decided to carry out a second audit and concluded that the losses were not as stated, as there were provisions amounting to €283 million. But Barça decided to stand by its proposal, La Liga applied the rules, and the club lost a financial fair play penalty which, to this day, it has still not recovered."

"Messi was underpaid for what he delivered, both in sporting, financial and commercial terms. He would have loved to be part of the squad's renewal, alongside these young players we have now, who are also part of this famous legacy."

Josep Maria Bartomeu addresses the controversy surrounding Lionel Messi's exit from Barcelona, asserting that his financial management did not cause the departure. He blames 'financial fair play' regulations and the new board's inflated loss reports for Messi's exit. Bartomeu emphasizes Messi's underpayment relative to his contributions and states that Messi always intended to remain with the club, wanting to be part of its evolution alongside younger players.

Read at Barca Universal