Barcelona President, Josep Bartomeu is looking to douse the tension at the Nou Camp, as he offers to step down for Lionel Messi to remain at the club.
According to reports from Spain, Josep Bartomeu said he would step aside if Lionel Messi agreed to commit his future to the club, after the player reportedly tabled a transfer request to leave the club after 16-years.
Dailymail reported that a separate report has also revealed that the under-fire 57-year-old has tried to call Messi to bring about peace talks but was ignored by the Argentine star.
Josep Bartomeu – who is serving the final term of his presidency, has since come under heavy fire, with furious Barcelona supporters having pushed through the Nou Camp gates as their protests continued for the second day in the city.
Fans want the club’s board, headed by Josep Bartomeu, to stand down after a dismal season that saw two sackings, losing the title to rivals Real Madrid and an embarrassing 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
And according to Catalan television channel TV3, the fans may get their wish, with Bartomeu reportedly willing to step aside and leave his role as president provided that Messi publicly agrees to continue his career at the Camp Nou.
Bartomeu had already brought elections forward from next summer to March 2021 following an emergency board meeting last week, but he could now depart his presidency role even earlier.
It is suggested that Bartomeu’s offer is a political powerplay, and MARCA have since reported that Messi has not flinched despite Bartomeu’s offer of tendering his resignation
Spanish outlet Cuatro Deportes are also not so optimistic and believe that Messi cannot be tempted in any case as he is already fed up at Barcelona and does not want to spend ‘another minute’ at the club.
The report adds that his decision is so definitive that he has not answered calls from the President, with the board harbouring a desire to convince Messi to make a U-turn on his decision.