Lionel Messi’s future remains in the air, with less than 100 days remaining on his Paris Saint-Germain contract. It appears the player himself is still not sure where he will end up, but his decisions will have a domino effect at Barcelona.
The Blaugrana have their own veteran star unsure about his future, in captain Sergio Busquets. The 34-year-old is out of contract in the summer and is unsure whether he will take the reduced offer of Barcelona or to move to Saudi Arabia or head to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
According to MD, Busquets is looking to come to a decision soon, and will use the international break to go away with his family and reflect on the choice. Messi will pay a large role in where he goes, who has the same clubs interested in him, although Messi could stay at PSG.
The pair are still good friends, and Messi travelled to Barcelona to have dinner with Busquets, Jordi Alba and their partners in February. Elena Galera, Busquets’ partner, and Antonella Roccuzzo, Messi’s partner, are also close and intend to live near each other again in the future.
If Messi decides to continue at PSG, there is a good chance Busquets will remain at Barcelona for another season. Should the Argentine head to Barcelona, then the matter is beyond doubt.
However if the Messi clan head to the Middle East or the USA, then Busquets is more likely to join them there. In addition, Alba’s future is up in the air too. The veteran defender wants to see out his contract until 2024, even if Barcelona wouldn’t mind getting rid of his mammoth wages next season. Yet if Messi does arrive in Barcelona, then Alba will also stay at Camp Nou.
This news is somewhat counterproductive for Barcelona. If they are to bring in Messi, then serious cuts will be need to be made, as well as sales. One of those cuts would probably be Alba in their mind, but they have little power over the matter if Alba digs his heels in.
