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    LaLiga News: Messi leaves Barcelona: Leo has other offers, says Laporta

    Lionel Messi has already received offers from other clubs after becoming a free agent and Barcelona president Joan Laporta is unwilling to offer “false hopes” of a resolution.

    Barça made a resounding announcement on Thursday that their greatest player ever would not be returning to the club.

    Messi’s contract had expired at the end of last season, but a new deal was expected ahead of the new campaign, with an upcoming announcement reportedly this week.

    The tone of relations in Spain changed on Thursday, however, and Barça soon confirmed that they were unable to make a deal due to “economic and structural obstacles” as any deal could not fall under La Liga wage restrictions.

    Laporta addressed the media on Friday and, after an opening statement in which he blamed developments in the dire financial situation left by former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, he suggested that there was no chance to resume talks with Messi.

    “The decision is over,” Laporta said. “It’s done.”

    He explained: “I don’t want to generate false hope. In the course of the negotiations, we learned that the player had other offers.

    “And there was a time limit, both for us, because LaLiga will start shortly, and for them, because it needs some time.

    “As fair play continues to be rigid, the player also needs some time to see what he will do and evaluate his situation and evaluate other options.

    The suggestion that Messi could lower his demands was given to the president, who replied: “These are all hypothetical situations. They are not real to this day.

    “If I am here today, it is not because of what may or may not happen. I wanted to be here with Leo today. It was every Cule’s dream, but we have to live in the real world.

    “I like to dream, but we have to live in reality that this is what happens. I can imagine many things, there are many things that I would like to happen, but right now it is not easy ”.

    Asked where he wanted to see Messi play next, Laporta said: “I would like to see Leo Messi play at Barca, but whatever is done is up to him. You have to ask him. I will not answer that.”

    Pressed on the potential interest of Paris Saint-Germain, he added: “I don’t know, but they always say they have options.”

    The salary status of Barça has restricted the registration of all new players, including Messi as a free agent.

    But Laporta explained that the club’s end-of-season signings – Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia, Emerson Royal and Memphis Depay – had accepted favorable terms that Barca could accept.

    “People ask, ‘Why can we sign Kun? Why can we sign Emerson? Why can we sign Memphis? ‘ Because these are players who come to Barça accepting certain conditions in terms of salary, “said Laporta.” We have to thank them for that.

    “The arrival of one of these players is not comparable to what it would have meant to formalize those agreements with Leo Messi in terms of fair play.”

    Asked if all four players could be registered, he added: “As for our calculations, yes. If we had written Messi’s well-deserved salary, it is obviously different from the salaries we are talking about now.

    “I hope there are no problems, because these players have made an effort.”

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