LaLiga president claims they are ready for Messi leaving Barcelona

The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, has assured that he has “prepared well” for the possibility of Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona.

The Covid-19 pandemic has already damaged the league’s bottom line, with the Blaugranes alone responsible for €1.2 billion (£1.1b/$1.5b) in debt, and the exit of a main attraction like Messi would appear a worrisome moment.

But Tebas believes LaLiga is financially secure enough to withstand any harm.

“Messi couldn’t leave Barcelona because of an agreement in his contract, but as I said about Cristiano Ronaldo, we also are prepared financially for this moment.

“Cristiano leaving Real Madrid was a decision made by the club. I don’t have the right to say anything, but I always prefer to have the best players in La Liga, the same happened with Neymar before.

“Cristiano was the ultimate goal scorer in La Liga and we were affected by his departure, but financial the impact was minimal because we prepared well for this moment,” Tebas told ONsport.