Barcelona FC president Josep Bartomeu on Tuesday announced that Ronald Koeman is set to become the club’s manager, adding that star player Lionel Messi is the pillar they are counting on in the coach’s new project.
In an interview with Barca TV, Bartomeu said that though a deal is yet to be reached, talks with Koeman are in the advanced stages.
“If there is no change then we will announce Koeman as our next coach, and he will lead this team and these players forward with a different type of project, led by a coach who all Barca fans know,” Bartomeu said.
Quique Setién was sacked after Barcelona suffered a humiliating 8-2 loss in the Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich. This is the first season in 12 years that Barca has gone without a trophy.
Koeman is a former Netherlands and Barcelona player, who is currently managing the Netherlands national team. The 57-year-old is expected to join Barcelona this week.
Amidst rumours that Messi wants to leave Barcelona, Bartomeu reiterated that the Argentine will “end his career at Barca”.
“Messi wants to end his career at Barca, he has said that many times. I have spoken with Koeman and the pillar of our project is Messi.
“He (Messi) has a contract until 2021, I speak a lot with Leo and more regularly with his father. There is no doubt that in Koeman’s new project you can count on Messi,” the club president said.
Along with Messi, Bartomeu also said a number of other players are not for sale this summer.
“Messi is the best player ever and is not for sale,” Bartomeu said, adding that other players, including Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Clement Lenglet, Frenkie de Jong, Nelson Semedo, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann, are also not up for sale.
However, Bartomeu has said that a few players will be given “an honourable farewell”. This list could have some of the club’s longest-serving players including Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
“We’re talking about a generation of players that have won everything. I congratulate them for that but now it’s time to say an honourable farewell to some of them.
“We will speak with them first out of respect. They have been legends so they have to go in the right way, but there are conversations that need to happen,” Bartomeu added.
Meanwhile, Barcelona also parted ways with technical director Eric Abidal on Tuesday, replacing him with Ramon Planes.