There’s suggestions Lionel Messi’s demand to have a bigger say on transfers contributed to his contract breakdown with Barcelona.

Marca says it looked as if Messi was due to have his contract renewal with Barcelona made official, but now there are a number of factors which see the No.10 have more than one foot outside the Camp Nou.

One of those requirements was to have Argentina teammate Cristian Romero join him at Barcelona, as Messi felt that the defender’s signing would be a key move in strengthening the Barcelona squad and would also keep the team competitive throughout the 2021/22 season.

But Tottenham Hotspur have been quicker off the mark than Barcelona, and the Premier League side have practically closed the deal to bring Romero to England from Serie A side Atalanta.

As a result, that disagreement in transfer priorities has been a factor in the Messi being further away from signing a deal with Barcelona.