According to AFP, Laporta said that Barcelona needed to make a convincing proposal to Messi before he eventually makes a decision about his future.
Laporta, a former club president, held the post between 2003 and 2010. He is one of several candidates in the running to replace Josep Maria Bartomeu, who was impeached as club president in late 2020.
The presidential election at Barcelona is scheduled to be held on January 24.
From January 1 onwards, Messi has been free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club, but Messi has said that he has not yet decided on his future. In an interview on Spanish television on December 27, Messi had reportedly said that his future was still undecided.
Laporta sees “advantage” to keep Lionel Messi at Barcelona
Messi made his first-team debut for Barcelona when Laporta was the club president. In addition, with the trophies that Barcelona won during his first presidency, Laporta has said that he has an advantage over other candidates, especially in resolving the Messi saga.
In that interview though, Messi admitted that it would be “complicated to bring it [Barcelona] back to the level it was at”.
In the summer, Messi asked to leave Barcelona, after the 8-2 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal defeat against Bayern Munich.
After a tug-of-war, the Argentine decided to stay, though he said that he had only done so because of not wanting to take the ‘club of his life’ to court and fight a legal battle with them.
On January 24, Messi will find out who will succeed Bartomeu as Barcelona club president. The Argentine has, in the past, indicated that the new club board would be among the factors he would take into consideration before deciding whether or not to stay at the club.
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