Jordi Farré's plan for Messi: a year at Newell's and contract for life at Barcelona
One of the candidates for the presidency has a plan which he hopes will persuade Messi to stay. "If he wants to spend a year at Newell's, we'd be delighted".
Jordi Farré, one of the pre-candidates for the presidency at Barcelona, has outlined his plans for Leo Messi. Farré realises that handling the Argentine player's future depends on the available options which will be open to him and gave some details of his strategy, designed to keep Messi at Camp Nou while satisfying marketing and commercial needs.
"Leo will play wherever he wats. I think we have to draw up an open contract which will allow him the chance to retire at any moment, when he sees fit. We would be delighted if he asks us if he can spend a year playing at Newell's, return and see out his playing days at Barcelona. In life, it's important to to show gratitude," said Farré, who explained that Messi would be given complete freedom to choose how he sees out the final years of his playing career.
Priority - keeping Messi at Barcelona
The objective is that Messi retires at Camp Nou, and that is exactly what Farré will work towards before the elections, whether he is voted in or not. "We're not going to wait until the result of the election before talking to Leo's father. We are going to start work now so that by the time of the elections, we will have peace of mind that he is staying. We have a project for life underway for him. If we win, we will achieve what we set out to do, Leo will stay for as long as he wants," he added.
On top of a loose, open contract, which will allow the player to determine his own future, Farré also has a marketing operation along similar lines to the mega-contract which Michael Jordan was handed at the end of his career. "Messi has to be the face of the club, whether that is a honorary president or ambassador, we will give him the opportunity to make money. We also have an economic project which would combine the Barcelona and Messi brands, but first we need to discuss that with him in person. It's a stunning project. We could make Messi the new Jordan," he continued.
Whether Messi decides to stay or leave after events of last summer is one of the central issues in the current electoral process at Barcelona. The Argentinean ace will be out of contract on 30 June 2021 and able to start negotiating with other clubs from January.
