Rivaldo: Barcelona made a mistake by not selling Messi
Rivaldo believes Barcelona should have cashed in on Lionel Messi, who appears set to leave Camp Nou on a free transfer.
Barcelona made a mistake not selling superstar captain Lionel Messi at the start of the season, according to Rivaldo.
Messi is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and the record six-time Ballon d'Or winner appears likely to leave on a free transfer amid strong links to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
The 33-year-old attacker had tried to exit Camp Nou prior to the start of 2020-21 before opting to remain with the LaLiga giants.
Barcelona may need to sell important players - Rivaldo
As Barca struggle financially amid the coronavirus pandemic, former star Rivaldo wrote in his Betfair column: "Barcelona were not in good financial health pre-pandemic, but things got nasty in the last year and beyond Lionel Messi's almost inevitable departure, the club may need to sell some more important players to generate income.
"As I mentioned previously, the club's board made a mistake by not selling Lionel Messi while he was still under contract, something Real Madrid did with Cristiano Ronaldo receiving around €100million in exchange [from transfer to Juventus].
"It's sad to see such a talented and valuable player leaving Barca for free when the club is going through so many financial problems.
"But looking to potential transfers that might occur, I think Phillipe Coutinho time may have be coming to an end. He has admirers in England and perhaps Barcelona could generate some good income with his sale, allowing them to keep others like Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann.
"The Brazilian never managed to show his best football in Spain, and since his better moments happened in Premier League I'm sure there will be clubs interested in his services and available to pay considerable amounts, although not quite what Barcelona paid to Liverpool!"
Barca are third in the table and 10 points adrift of leaders Atletico Madrid as they prepare to host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
Athletic stunned Messi's Barca in the Supercopa de Espana final earlier this month.