'Barcelona made a mistake by not selling Messi'

The Argentine remains undecided on his Barcelona future, prompting a former star to slam the previous board’s decision to not sell him.

Rivaldo believes former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu made a mistake in not selling Lionel Messi in the previous summer transfer window.

An 8-2 thumping to Bayern Munich in the Champions League last season prompted Messi to hand in a transfer request. He hoped to exploit a clause in his contract that would’ve allowed him to leave Camp Nou for free. However, by taking advantage of the clause legally expiring in June 2020, Bartomeu blocked a potential exit.

But, as Messi can now begin talks with other clubs regarding a free summer transfer in 2021, Rivaldo thinks Bartomeu and his board should’ve cashed in while they had the chance.

“The previous board made a mistake by not selling Messi whilst he was still under contract,” Rivaldo told Betfair.

“They could have done something similar to what Real Madrid did with Cristiano Ronaldo when they sold him and made around 100 million euros.

“It’s very painful to see how a very talented player is going to leave Barcelona for free at a time when the club is going through so many financial problems.

“For me, Messi’s departure is inevitable.”

Incidentally, Barcelona released a report last week that revealed a short-term debt of €730 million euros. The club’s total liabilities, on the other hand, amount to a staggering 1.173 billion euros.