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Ahead of their crunch UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona are said to be furious with the French club. The Catalans are reportedly unhappy with the flurry of statements coming in from Paris about Lionel Messi's future.
The Blaugrana face PSG in the first leg of that tie at the Camp Nou on February 16, as they look to redeem themselves in Europe. Last season, they lost 8-2 in the quarterfinal to Bayern Munich, in a game that had huge repercussions.
It was after that game that their turbulent off-season began. Messi himself had his future up in the air all summer. Messi had wanted to unilaterally rescind his contract, but Barcelona dug their heels in to say that he would only leave the club if there was a club that activated his release clause.
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Barcelona accuse PSG of lack of respect with Lionel Messi flirtations
With his contract now expiring in the summer, Lionel Messi is already free to discuss terms on a new contract with clubs outside Spain. Both PSG and Manchester City have been touted as favorites to sign Messi, but Ronald Koeman has said that he is still holding out hope for the Argentine to stay at the club for next season and beyond.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are reportedly appreciative of the way that business is done but are said to be irked by the timing of the noises from Paris. Given that it has come just before the two clubs are set to meet each other in a big European knockout tie, Barcelona have been enraged.
The talk started with Neymar, before Christmas. The Brazilian had said then that he wanted to play with Messi in 2021. Leandro Paredes too echoed similar sentiments, before their sporting director Leonardo followed suit.
That was followed up with two more Argentines, head coach Mauricio Pochettino and Angel Di Maria expressing similar thoughts as well.
It is such open talk about Messi's future that hasn't been received well by the Barcelona hierarchy. They have deemed the open talk about the contract as disrespectful.
Barcelona also are said to believe that such talks are designed specifically to unsettle both the 33-year-old and the whole squad ahead of what is an important European tie. It is yet unclear where Lionel Messi will end up beyond this season, but it is clear to see that the fun and games have already begun off the field.
