Overview
- Josep Maria Bartomeu said in a Sunday interview that Barcelona could have kept Lionel Messi in 2021 if the incoming board had taken different steps.
- He claimed the new leadership reported €555 million in losses, after which LaLiga ran a second review that flagged €283 million as provisions rather than true losses.
- Bartomeu argued Barcelona stuck with that presentation and lost room under LaLiga’s spending rules, which set a club’s squad budget based on audited accounts.
- He also described pandemic pay talks, saying a 14% cut in 2020 saved €90 million, a proposed 20% cut met resistance, and only four players accepted staggered contracts.
- The remarks arrive as club politics churn, with recent election talk and public claims about a failed 2023 Messi return keeping blame for his 2021 free move to PSG in the spotlight.