Football Talk - Laporta insists Messi is not for sale - 30/03/09
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has insisted that Argentine forward Lionel Messi is not for sale at any price.
Manchester City and Chelsea have been linked with world record bids for the Argentinian in the summer, but Barca will not listen to any offers.
"Messi is not for sale and that's it," said Laporta. "It's not a question of money. For me he's the best player in the world and he feels comfortable at Barcelona. For us, Messi reflects Barca in a perfect way that makes young players see how we develop talent. Leo Messi came to Barca when he was 12 years old. He has a natural talent but we created the player you know and we are very proud of this. I think Leo is very happy in our city and in our country and so is his family."
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Barcelona have agreed to sign Keirrison from Palmeiras, with a price of €15m believed to be enough to secure the deal. The 20-year-old forward has already said that he wants to be successful and would relish the chance to play alongside Messi.
"I would really like to play alongside Lionel Messi," Sport quote Keirrison as saying. "He is the best player in the world. Since I was very young I have wanted to play.... with a great club and, although I have nothing against any others, I have always identified with Barcelona. I saw a lot of games when Romario and Ronaldo were there and that made me dream that one day I would play at Barcelona."
