With less than two months left until the Barcelona presidential elections, candidates are beginning their pitches.
Their words and deeds over the next eight weeks will arguably propel them to victory or see them drop out of the race altogether.
Ronald Koeman might be the fall guy for some, perhaps along with some players, but one thing seems fairly clear cut; Lionel Messi has to be kept happy.
There’s every chance at this stage that the Argentinian may decant for the Premier League and Manchester City next summer, unless he can be persuaded to see out the remainder of his top level playing days at Barca.
Intriguingly, Don Balon are reporting that he doesn’t believe that Lautaro Martinez, his international colleague and someone who the club were scouting extensively during the summer, is the right fit to be a number nine at Barca.
The outlet also quote a fee €150m for a player that’s consistently gone missing in the big games for Inter this season.
Whether Messi wants him or not, in the current economical climate, any move for the Argentinian seems like a non-starter.