La Masia coach Garcia Pimienta admits he cannot “imagine a Barcelona without” Lionel Messi, but accepts that the mercurial Argentine has earned the right to dictate his own future.
As things stand, a six-time Ballon d’Or winner continues to head towards free agency at Camp Nou.
No fresh terms have been thrashed out, with the lack of a club president in Catalunya doing that cause few favours, and it may be that the 33-year-old ends a career-long association with the Blaugrana over the summer.
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What has been said?
Pimienta, who worked in the academy system that moulded a rough diamond into the superstar he is today and has been for well over a decade, has told Cadena Ser: “It would be a shame if he left because Barcelona will always be his home but if he wants to, we have to respect his decision.