Unlikely that Barcelona can convince Lionel Messi to stay, confesses Victor Font

After spending nearly two decades with the club, Lionel Messi dropped a bomb on Barcelona last week when he announced his decision to leave the club. The Argentine made his decision by sending a burofax to the club, a letter that told the club of his intentions, and has since then been heavily linked with a move away. Manchester City has been touted as his top destination thanks to Messi’s connection with Pep Guardiola but no move has materialized so far.

That has, however, pushed Barcelona into overdrive as they look for potential solutions to their problem but so far the club have failed to convince the Argentine to change his decision. It has seen Victor Font ask president Josep Maria Bartomeu, the man he could replace, to resign if that helps change Messi’s mind. However, Font now believes that even Bartomeu resigning may not help their cause as he believes that it’s unlikely Barcelona can change Messi’s mind.

"That's the way it seems. This is the best football club in the world and we will do everything to ensure that the association with Messi stays. That's the hope, right? Until it's over there is always hope. And therefore I really hope the decision can be changed,” Font told Sky Sports.

"It doesn't seem likely, though, and therefore if that's the case, the focus should be on making the transition as smooth as possible. And the ties between Messi and Barcelona that go very deep, remain there, so we can ensure somehow, the relationship continues in the future."