Barcelona insisted they had not heard from Lionel Messi that he wants to leave the club, as an emergency board meeting was being held at Camp Nou on Monday.
Barca officials,
including under-fire president Josep Maria Bartomeu, were due to discuss
wholesale changes following the team’s humiliating 8-2 Champions League
quarter-final defeat by Bayern Munich on Friday.
A report from
Esporte Interativo on Sunday even claimed Messi has made up his mind to leave
this summer, although a Barcelona source told AFP shortly before the board
meeting was due to start that there had still been no communication with the
club to that effect.
Messi’s frustration
will be among the issues to be discussed along with the future of coach Quique
Setien, who is expected to be sacked.
Ronald Koeman had
emerged as the favourite on Monday to replace Setien given concerns around the
suitability of Mauricio Pochettino, who has previously said he would never
coach Barcelona due to his links to rivals Espanyol.
Another option is
Barca B coach Garcia Pimienta, who could oversee a greater emphasis on youth
before a longer-term appointment is made after the presidential elections next
year.
Former Barca
midfielder Xavi Hernandez would be the preferred option of Messi and other
senior players but Xavi has recently signed a new deal with Qatari club Al-Sadd
and is against working under the current board.
Another possible
outcome of Monday’s meeting is that the club’s presidential elections, due in
June 2021, are brought forward, although it is more likely they would be
advanced to earlier next year than the next few months.
Sporting director
Eric Abidal will also have his future discussed and could be moved on.
Defender Gerard
Pique called for sweeping changes after describing the heavy loss to Bayern,
Barca’s worst ever in Europe, as their “rock bottom”.
But Bartomeu asked
for patience. “We are hurting, but once we get to next week we will start
making decisions,” he told television channel Movistar.
“The credibility of
a coach is diminished when this happens, clearly. That is obvious, but that
does not bother me right now.
“I think what
happens today needs to be analysed with a bit more perspective,” he added.
