Ramon Planes: 'We want Messi to stay'

After Trincão had been officially presented as an FC Barcelona player, first team technical secretary Ramon Planes also took questions from the press, where the focus was heavily on the latest stories regarding Leo Messi.

Planes agreed that “this is indeed a very important story, but our idea at the club is still to build a new winning cycle around the best player in the world. We are not contemplating any kind of departure because what we want is for Messi to stay.”

“We only have enormous respect for Leo Messi. Barça and Leo are like a marriage, where both have given so much to each other, and have brought so much joy to the fans. I think the future is positive. I am an optimist. We need experienced players, like Leo Messi, as well as players for the team’s future. We are putting every effort into ensuring that the relationship between Barça and Messi will continue. We are working internally to convince Leo”.

Asked about the return to training, Ramon Planes added that “Messi has not told us that he does not want to report for duty. But any communication that might occur between the two parties in an internal affair. We shall not be making any statement on the situation out of the respect that both Messi and the club deserve.”