Josep Maria Bartomeu reportedly tells Messi that he will sack the Barca manager.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has told Lionel Messi that he will sack manager Luis Enrique following Sunday evening’s crucial La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid, report Goal, with weeks of speculation that Messi and his manager were unable to see eye-to-eye set to come to a head.
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Messi is believed to have requested the appointment of former Nou Camp manager Frank Rijkaard to replace Enrique, who has never convinced as manager of the club since arriving from La Liga rivals Celta Vigo in the summer, and came under fire for leaving Messi and Neymar out of the starting line up for the defeat to Real Sociedad last weekend.
Chelsea have been heavily linked with an astonishing move for Messi in recent days, following news of his unhappiness at the Nou Camp breaking, but it would appear that Bartomeu is prepared to do everything it takes to appease his star man ahead of potential presidential elections at the club.
Bartomeu himself has also come in for some criticism recently, the report suggests, with the Catalan side having been unable to overturn a transfer ban imposed by FIFA for irregularities in the deal bringing Neymar to the club from Brazilian outfit Santos – and losing Messi would likely be a pill too difficult for the Barcelona faithful to swallow.