Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman looks to set aside Lionel Messi transfer distractions ahead of big month

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman said he was perplexed by the talk coming from France about a potential transfer for Lionel Messi in the summer.

Barcelona are already said to be enraged by Paris Saint-German's "unsettling" of Lionel Messi ahead of the clash between the two sides in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 next week.

"I don’t know why they do this. I already said the other day that if they want to talk about Leo about his future, then let them talk," Koeman said in the press conference before Barcelona's Copa Del Rey semifinal against Sevilla.

"But now the manager of Lyon wants to get involved, it seems he likes to speak a lot in the press. I don’t really care. For me he’s not important, what we need to do is prepare for the match ahead of us," the Dutchman continued.

"I read that Ronald Koeman was a little offended that PSG spoke about Lionel Messi at the club before a Champions League match," Lyon head coach Garcia told BeIN Sport.

"He was not shy, even after the transfer window, to talk about Memphis Depay," Garcia continued.

---

Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer, says Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman

Ronald Koeman called Lionel Messi "incredible"

Koeman was also asked whether Lionel Messi was the GOAT in all of sport but refused to commit to an answer.

"It’s always difficult because these are different times, but what Mesi is doing, what he’s done, is something incredible. The numbers of goals, the titles," Koeman said.

The Dutchman, though, did commit to saying that Messi was the greatest in football.

"I didn’t see the Super Bowl but Messi is the greatest in football. What he is doing for the club once again, it’s difficult to compare with Cruyff, Pele and Maradona, but from what I’ve seen in the last 15-20 years, Messi is something incredible, really special," the former Barcelona defender said.

Koeman also stressed the need to reduce risks with his squad selections to prevent injuries to his players.

Miralem Pjanic, Martin Braithwaite, and Sergino Dest will not be available for the Copa del Rey semifinal clash against Sevilla on Wednesday night.

Koeman said that many players in his squad are not fully fit at the moment.

"Some of my players physically are not 100 per cent and I want to take the ones who are. I don’t want to run any more risks. We know we have a lot of players out but that’s the situation and there’s no other solution," the Dutchman said..

Lionel Messi himself was rested for the weekend's La Liga match, which Barcelona won 3-2 against Real Betis. The Argentine came on only as a second-half substitute.