<<Print>>

Barcelona president Joan Laporta insists he held hopes that Lionel Messi would play for the club for free in order to stay at the Camp Nou and turn down Paris Saint-Germain.

The club could not afford to keep hold of their greatest ever player amid their unprecedented financial woes, with the club racking up more than £1billion in debt and recording a £409million loss for last season. 

Club president Laporta explained earlier in the summer that Barcelona's wage bill with six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi on the books would equal 110 per cent of their income. 

As a result, the Argentina star - who scored 672 goals for the club and won LaLiga 10 times along with four Champions League crowns - bid an emotional farewell in a press conference before signing for the Ligue 1 giants in the summer on a two-year deal.

But Laporta, 59, has revealed he retained hope the 34-year-old would at the last minute agree to play for free and extend his 21-year stay, but he ultimately acknowledged a player 'of his level' could not do so, especially with a 'very powerful' offer from PSG. 

'With Messi I do not get angry because I appreciate him,' Laporta told Catalan radio station RAC1 via Mundo Deportivo.

'But when we see that he could not stay there is a certain disappointment on both sides. I know they had a huge desire to stay, but a lot of pressure because of the offer they had.