Messi tells Koeman he sees himself more likely to leave Barcelona than to stay

Leo Messi told new coach Ronald Koeman that he sees himself more likely to leave than stay at the Camp Nou, according to Catalan radio station RAC1.  Leo Messi, who interrupted his holidays to meet with Ronald Koeman, told the new coach literally that he sees himself "more out of the club than in it".

Messi still under contract

At the same time, according to RAC1, Messi admitted that he is aware of the difficulties he faces in leaving the club given that he is still under contract with Barcelona.

The club, for their part, have referred to the contract which ties Messi to the Camp Nou for one more season. Barcelona also refused to comment on the meeting between Koeman and Messi, saying publicly only that the the new project under Koeman will be led by the number 10.

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This latest bombshell from Messi comes as Barça are dealing with the fall out  from their humbling 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final, which saw heavy criticism from fans, former players and pundits of the club's institutional and sporting policies.

Coach Setién was sacked and Ronald Koeman brought in to oversee what club President Bartomeu hopes will be a new sporting project that can win the fans over. However one of the great unknowns was how Barcelona's star player Leo Messi saw the situation, with Koeman saying at his presentation he was keen to sit down with Messi and find out what the Argentinean was thinking.

While Messi is now 33, as still one of the finest, if not the finest, footballers on the planet Barcelona are desperate to maintain his services. Koeman himself said he would be delighted if Messi stayed and that he would love to work with him.