The club’s former vice-president believes there could be a reunion between the South Americans at Camp Nou’s subsequent season.
Former Barcelona vice-president Emili Rousaud has stated he believes Lionel Messi will soon sign a contract renewal, and that Neymar could return to the club in the summer.
Rousaud lately departed Barca in controversial fashion, resigning his role and saying he is ready to go to a legal battle with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Among his allegations, Rousaud has stated: “corruption is evident” inside Camp Nou and that someone “had their hands” in the club’s treasury.
Rousaud has additionally presented plenty of information on his former club’s personnel dealings, such as his views on two of Barca’s most high-profile stars in recent years.
Messi’s future has been the issue of dialogue recently, with the club legend’s current deal expiring in 2021 and no renewal yet agreed.
Though Messi publicly attacked sporting director Eric Abidal recently over the Frenchman’s criticism of Barca’s squad, Rousaud believes that the Argentine will commit his long-term future to Barca soon.
“I suppose Messi and Barcelona will attain an agreement over a renewal,” Rousaud told ESPN Deportes.
“To reach an agreement, the two parties need to make some sort of concession, however, I would be very surprised if this beautiful story did not continue for longer.”
Messi’s former team-mate Neymar has additionally considered plenty of speculation around his future, with the PSG star admitting last summer that he desired to depart the French side and return to Barca.
Though Barcelona’s attempts to sign the Brazilian were eventually unsuccessful, Rousaud believes that a 2nd attempt this summer ought to prove fruitful.
“I think it’s possible that Neymar should return in the summer. It does not seem to be an impossibility at all,” Rousaud said, before including that the current coronavirus pandemic ought to be advantageous for clubs looking to purchase players in the subsequent transfer window.
“I have a feeling that the pandemic will lead to some deflation in player prices, which is good for buyers however awful for sellers. We will have to see how all these factors are rebalanced,” he said.
Rousseau additionally spoke about his very own future, as rumors of a bid for Barcelona president have been mooted. Though he stated he hasn’t reached a decision yet, Rousaud was clear that he would like the job one day.
“I haven’t lost the will to present myself however I have to think about matters before making a decision,” Rousaud said. “We have a year, more or less, before the start of the electoral campaign and it is a decision that I will think about – I may not rule it out at all: I would like to be the president of Barca.”
