The Lionel Messi transfer away from Barcelona is one of the things that many clubs around Europe are hoping to happen. Why not? The 26-year old Argentinean football star is one of the best scorers this generation has ever seen. Several parties have made attempts to sign Messi. There's Manchester City who allegedly trying to hi-jack him from Camp Nou via a $164 million offer. Arsenal is also persistent to get the services of Messi. The Emirates Stadium based club claimed that they were close to getting the signature of Messi before the latter penned a deal with his current team.
Landing the the Barcelona superstar might not happen though as the Spanish club's president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, quashed Lionel Messi transfer rumors. He even thinks that Messi should retire with them.
"Having Messi in the team is a joy that renews itself every day. He's a key player, he has been that for many years and I'm sure that he'll continue to be that. I know that he's happy here, but we would be even more happy if he decided to finish his career here. I can't see him with the jersey of another club and I would be proud to keep him at Barcelona forever," Bartomeu said as reported by Sky Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
Another reason why Barcelona would ditch the idea of Lionel Messi transfer is that the 51-year old businessman thinks the player's worth to the club will not be matched. He is 'unlimited, Bartomeu said. To him, the super striker is more than about the goals or titles that he brings to the club.
"Leo Messi came to our club when he was 13 years old. This year he will be 27 ... He has been growing within our club. He is one of us," he told TIME magazine.
"Leo Messi represents something more than his goals or the titles he won. Leo Messi represents, a little bit, this spirit of a young player that comes to our Masia, to our youth academy, and learns."
So there are no Lionel Messi transfer bids for now. But to the clubs who want to land the superstar, it's not dead-end yet. Who knows what the future holds.
