It appears that Barcelona are suffering from the same problems as they have over the past couple of seasons, in that the club need to get rid of certain players to help balance the books and they simply don’t want to leave.
This summer, perhaps more than either of the last two, that need is much more acute as the club appear to be doing their upmost to try and persuade Lionel Messi to return for what would be his swan song with the Catalans.
The notion that it could be akin to Michael Jordan’s ‘last dance’ with the Chicago Bulls is romantic, but it’s also a long, long way from coming to fruition.
According to Sport, Barca are trying to persuade Ansu Fati to move to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the player is flatly refusing to do so.
That’s despite pressure both from the club and his own agent, Jorge Mendes.
Of course, it was Fati that took over the No.10 shirt once Messi had departed from the Camp Nou to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
Barcelona’s stance on Fati irrespective of their pursuit of Messi is understandable.
He’s not been anywhere close to the youngster that burst onto the scene a few years ago since his knee problems occurred, and whilst there’s a resale value there the Catalans will want to take advantage.
If he continues to dig his heels in, however, Barca may as well kiss goodbye to ever seeing Messi in their shirt again.