Joan Laporta was voted Barcelona’s new president over the weekend, and his upcoming tasks are already being laid out for him by the Catalan media.
Monday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo has page after page about what has happened and what is now expected to. Their daily cartoon shows Laporta as a tube of glue, tasked with putting the Barca crest back together.
Manchester City get a few mentions when it comes to how Laporta will have to deal with transfer business. First up, of course, is a certain Lionel Messi.
The Argentine’s contract expires in the summer, with PSG and Manchester City named as clubs trying to snatch him away. Mundo Deportivo report Messi now needs to decide whether to renew or to seek glory elsewhere with a squad more ready to win the biggest trophies.
Laporta will try to build a package for Messi which is affordable for Barcelona, although it’s likely to see a pay cut of some kind. That said, it’s unlikely Manchester City or PSG would match his current wages.
That’s the first City/Barca tussle the newspaper covers, and they then move on to Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia.
Garcia is taken as a done deal, and Aguero presented as a summer opportunity for Barcelona given his contract situation.
It would appear Barcelona’s new leadership will be in contact with their Catalan connections at Manchester City soon.
