Messi is not bigger than Barca, Emili Rousaud says.
He says he wants Leo to stay but it depends on whether the Argentine will agree to cut his current wage.
However, Rousaud is convinced that Messi wanted to leave Barca not because of money but because he’s a born winner.
“We [Rousaud’s team] would have to ask Messi to take a pay cut. With his current contract at Barca, the situation is unstable,” Barcelona’s presidential candidate Emili Rousaud has told ARA.

“Messi wrote the finest pages in club history, and we must honor our legends. But this is the reality. We will ask him for this sacrifice. If he doesn’t agree, then he will leave.
“To be honest, it seems to me that we need to speak directly to him about the situation. You can’t deceive anyone any more. We will do everything for Messi to stay, but we will always put the interests of the club above everything else. He’s no bigger than Barca. Do I want him to stay? Yes. But not at any cost. It must be financially-friendly.

“Leo doesn’t put money first. He is already the highest-paid player in the world. When he says he will leave this summer, don’t look for a catch. He says this not because of money, but because he is a born winner. Now the team are not competitive enough. So we have to convince him that we will create a project to win. And even then he will make the decision he finds necessary,” Rousaud said.

As things stand, most presidential candidates want Messi to stay and just a few would agree to sell him on certain conditions.