Lionel Messi: Barcelona presidential candidate Rousaud vows to name Camp Nou after Argentine
- Lionel Messi might have been given a new reason to extend his stay at Barcelona
- The six-time Ballon d'Or's current deal with the Catalans next summer
- And a presidential candidate named Emili Rousaud has vowed to name the Camp Nou after Messi
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Barcelona may have found a way to keep Lionel Messi at the club beyond next summer as their presidential hopeful Emili Rousaud considers naming Camp Nou after him if elected next year.
The 33-year-old's current deal with the Catalans expires at the end of this season and there are indications he is likely not to renew.
Although many believe the six-time Ballon d'Or winner will not leave the La Liga outfit next summer, his refusal to commit his future to them is something to worry about.
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Meanwhile, Rousaud is one of the contenders to take over from Josep Maria Bartomeu and he has vowed to hold a referendum on the matter.
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The 54-year-old has also committed himself to re-signing Neymar and another unnamed star next summer.
Ronald Koeman's men have endured a poor start to the 2020-21 season as they currently sit 13th in La Liga and 12 points behind leaders Real Sociedad having lost three of their opening eight games.
The Dutch manager has not succeeded in getting the best out of the players since his arrival in August with Messi managing just one goal from open play so far. But Rousaud told Marca that:
"We will hold a referendum to change the name of the stadium to Camp Nou - Leo Messi. He is also confident that Neymar can be brought back to the club, despite the Brazilian currently being involved in a lawsuit against them over contractual issues.
Rousaud also revealed plans to bring quality players to the club to improve their competitiveness next season.
"We're going to sign two top players, one of them is Neymar. We are working to bring him back to Barcelona... if he withdraws the lawsuit he has against the club.
"We hope to be able to announce soon the name of the other big-name player we want to bring," he said. "It will not leave anyone indifferent. We have a direct line to the player."
Legit.ng earlier reported that Antoine Griezmann has distanced himself from his uncle's comments after the former agent Eric Olhats lashed out at Lionel Messi.
The Frenchman's ex-representative was quoted to have claimed that the Argentine's 'reign of terror' at Barcelona is holding the 29-year-old back.
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