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Getafe president Angel Torres has warned Barcelona not to let Lionel Messi leave this summer. Torres believes Messi's departure would be a huge loss for La Liga and its clubs.
Messi is a free agent after his contract expired at the end of last season. The Argentine has reportedly agreed a new deal, but Barcelona need to reduce their wage bill before signing off on the contract.
Angel Torres, meanwhile, wants the Argentine star to retire in Spain.
“I have discussed it with Laporta and Tebas. LaLiga cannot allow Messi to leave this year," Torres was quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo. "They would be making a mistake and we would all regret it. The best footballer in the world has to retire in Spain complying with the rules of economic control. I think LaLiga will be a bit flexible after the bad year in which Spanish football has lost 1,000 million euros due to Covid.”
“And I will do whatever it takes so that footballers like Messi and Cristiano never leave because we are all harmed. Although it seems strange. Messi is for me the best footballer in the world and he must be in the best league in the world, which is La Liga.”
LaLiga won't help Barcelona register Lionel Messi
LaLiga president Javier Tebas previously confirmed that they will not be bending the rules to help Barcelona register Lionel Messi. Tebas wants the club to reduce their wage bill before offering the Argentine a new deal.
"No, I won't [turn a blind eye] for Messi, it's impossible," he said. "There are many workers [at LaLiga] and in the economic control [department] as well. This is a right that the clubs have and we have to safeguard the integrity of LaLiga. We often have to explain [the economic controls] to agents and players because they don't know about it or think clubs are deceiving them, and we've had to explain it in recent years."
Barcelona have signed Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay so far this summer, but will not be able to register them until their wage bill is below LaLiga's limit.
