"We can't make such a request" - Joan Laporta admits he hoped Lionel Messi would agreed to play for free at Barcelona

Lionel Messi left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this summer as Blaugrana couldn't afford to tie him to a new contract amid their economic crisis. Barca president Joan Laporta has now admitted he did hope the Argentine would offer to play for free.

He said:

"With Lionel Messi I do not get angry because I appreciate him. I know he had a huge desire to stay, but also a lot of pressure because of the offer he had. Everything indicates that he already had the offer from PSG. Everyone knew that he had a very powerful offer. We knew from Messi that they had a very good offer."

"At no time do I think of going backwards. I think I'm doing the best for Barca. Nobody can put the institution at risk did hope that at the last minute. Messi would say that he would play for free. I would have liked that and he would have convinced me. I understand that the league would have accepted it. But we cannot ask that of a player of his level," added the Barcelona chief.

Despite agreeing a deal with Lionel Messi to continue at Camp Nou this summer, Barcelona couldn't tie the attacker to a new contract due to their terrible financial situation. As a result, they were forced to part ways with him, allowing Paris Saint-Germain to take advantage of the situation to snap up the attacker.

Lionel Messi joined the French giants in August, bagging a lucrative two-year contract that will keep him at the Parc des Princes until the summer of 2023. There's also the option to extend the deal by a further year if the Argentine chooses to.

Lionel Messi in action for Paris Saint-Germain against Manchester City

How Barcelona and Lionel Messi have coped without each other this term

Lionel Messi and Barcelona have found life tough without each other this season. The Argentine has had a slow start to life in Paris, scoring just once in five appearances across all competitions so far. In fact, it took him four matches to score his first goal in the PSG shirt.

Barca, on the other hand, are in a deep mess at the moment. The Catalan giants have won just three of their nine games across all fronts this season, including their two games in the Champions League. They currently rank ninth in the Liga table with 12 points in seven games.