Lionel Messi is supposed to depart Barcelona next year, reportedly, but Quique Setien claims he didn’t hear the forward say so. Amid rumors that he will leave Barcelona next year, Quique Setien declined to be drawn into a discussion about Lionel Messi ‘s future, although the coach was adamant that he didn’t hear the player himself saying he needs to transfer. Barca was kept at Atletico Madrid’s 2-2 draw on Tuesday, and Real Madrid ‘s subsequent win over Getafe on Thursday gave Los Blancos four straight points on top of LaLiga.
It was the third match in four that Barca failed to win, and reports that Messi agreed to leave in 2021 when his contract expires, started circulating on Thursday. Although some put that down as a plot to overthrow controversial club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, others are worried about such an idea taking root and becoming reality, with Messi reportedly linking up with Manchester City ‘s manager Pep Guardiola once more.
In recent weeks, there have also been rumors of in-house squabbling and a poor relationship between the players and the coaching staff, but Setien insists he has heard nothing from Messi about his supposed plan to resign.”I’m not going to comment on this because I haven’t heard him say anything about it and it’s not my job,” Setien said ahead of a meeting with Villarreal via Marca in the pre-match news conference Saturday.
“I repeat, he’s looking fantastic for me, Leo. The rest is gossip that doesn’t even come into my mind; that’s what you [the media] are about. I see him working well, nothing more.”
Riqui Puig is a Barca player with a lot of positivity surrounding him, with the 20-year-old midfielder making some outstanding displays after the resumption and that wasn’t lost at Setien.
“We’ve all seen his norm,” he said. “Riqui took a very important move in these games and gained consistency, but I’m telling him not to rest on what he’s doing, but to improve.
“He is mindful of the opportunity presented to him, and this is the path forward. Then, we’ll see the rest. Barca returns to action at in-form Villarreal on Sunday, who have won five and have lost none of their six matches since LaLiga resumed last month.
