Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has ruled out the sale of seven squad members in this summer's transfer window. According to him, the club intends to rebuild under new supervision and Lionel Messi, Ter Stegen, Antoine Griezmann, Clement Lenglet, Ousmane Dembélé, Nelson Semedo and Frenkie De Jong are the players that remain crucial to the upcoming project.
Barcelona have somewhat been thrown into turmoil after suffering a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Since then, the club has made a few big calls with head coach Quique Setien and technical director Eric Abidal all getting sacked.
The highlight of the whole fiasco is the purported exit of Lionel Messi. With just a year remaining on his current contract, the 33-year-old Argentine is said to be angling for a move out as he believes that not much as changed with regards to how the club is run.
There have been persistent calls within the playing body and the club's hierarchy for Bartomeu to resign but to no avail. Speaking to Barca TV on Tuesday, the 57-year-old iterated his decision to stay in post and confirmed the appointment of Roland Koeman as the new manager of the Catalans. He subsequently overruled the sale of Messi, citing that the player will retire at the club.
"I decided not resign now because La Liga starts only after 5 weeks," Bartomeu stated.
"I chose not to resign for the benefit of the club. Resigning is an easy option, but it's also irresponsible.
"We are all responsible for the loss against Bayern Munich; the dressing room and the board. Barça don't have economical problems. The problem is with the sports project.
"I have been worried and busy with the club during the last few hours. We are trying to reverse the situation. I can assure the fans and members of the club that we are able to overcome any economical difficulties we face.
"But the time for some players at Barcelona has come to an end. There will be replacements and new leaders who will take the team forward. After Anfield, we gave chances to improve, but now there will be no tolerance. Necessary action will be taken if needed.
"I want to thank the players for making us the best club in the world, but it's time for some of those players to go. Some senior players will be sold, but they will be acknowledged with a lot of gratitude and appreciation.
"Regarding the players we won't sell, we will count on Leo, Stegen, Griezmann, Lenglet, Dembélé, Semedo and De Jong. Messi will continue at Barça. He will be part of Ronald Koeman's project. He wants to end his career at Barça. He will be a key part in the project.
"We will soon announce the signing of Ronald Koeman and his staff. We are all waiting for the announcement.
