Messi, Mbappé and Ramos, renewals up in the air
Messi has not finished announcing his renewal. It is very surprising that he has not settled his future before leaving for the Copa America.
This may be motivated by an intention to leave Barça and not wanting to ignite the flames of what would be a media fire in Barcelona and in the city of the team where he would go.
It could also be because Laporta has not obtained the necessary guarantees to pay the Argentinian star his future contract. A ten-year contract at 25 million net per year is being talked about. This would involve Barcelona in an investment of 500 million gross over ten years.
A third reason could be to wait to see if the sporting project of the azulgranas is to Lionel's liking. They have to carry out a complete renovation of the squad and that cannot be done in a month.
Everyone takes Messi's renewal for granted, but the truth is that the player neither confirms nor denies it.
The Paris Saint-Germain option is up in the air. If Mbappé does not renew, Al-Khelaïfi will have to look for a top-level replacement. Although we have already talked about the Qatari leader's arrogance, he cannot waste a hundred million euros or more.
The latest statements denote a terrible anger with Mbappé and a significant lack of respect. The player, far from being intimidated, has declared that his first choice is not PSG. Leaving his preferences up in the air, although everyone knows that Real Madrid is his destination. This year or next.
If things do not change, his renewal will remain up in the air, but further and further away from Paris.
A renewal that is also up in the air, but increasingly closer to the ground, is that of Sergio Ramos. The Sevillian's ordago to Florentino was on the point of upsetting him and his family, who are keen to continue enjoying their new home.
Ramos's great career as a footballer has historically been characterised by his nefarious advice and has earned him the displeasure of the fans.
The defender could be a madridista icon and one of madridismo's most beloved players, but his attitudes when it comes to renewing his contracts, due to bad advice from his entourage and journalist friends, has led to a large part of madridismo wanting him to leave and many of them branding him as a money-grubber.
A pity for the great performances he has had over the years and the records broken by the great captain. Nowadays the fans are divided, and it is possible that there will be some whistles at the Bernabéu when the stadiums are full again. If he maintains his sporting level these whistles will subside, but if he does not recover well from his knee injury and his performance is not at the level he is used to, he could be questioned a lot. This is a pity.
His renewal will be announced in the next few days, and it will be according to Florentino's dictate. The president will leave it well organised and agreed that in a year's time we will not be back with the same story and tall tale.