If Barca chief has his way, Messi and Ronaldo will play side by side

New Barcelona soccer club president Joan Laporta is an ambitious man. After reports that Laporta may have just convinced Lionel Messi to stay back at Camp Nou, grapevine has it that he is dreaming of getting Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo in the team.

If Laporta’s wish comes true, this transfer story will go down the history records as one of its kind and would be a treat for fans to see the two contemporary legends playing side by side.

Laporta’s plan, though ambitious, is not impossible to implement because Ronaldo’s future at Juventus in uncertain. This even after the Italian club qualified for the Champions League on the final day of the season.

The Barca team is contemplating Ronaldo’s buy out in exchange for Antoine Griezmann, Philippe Coutinho and Sergi Roberto.

Meanwhile, there are talks of the 36-year-old Portuguese returning to his old team, Manchester United, in exchange for Paul Pogba.

Is Ronaldo willing to join Barcelona? His agent, Jorge Mendes, doesn’t sound serious about it so far.

Can Barca afford Ronaldo? It is not clear yet, but if the transfer deal with Camp Nou does progress, Laporta may propose a loan deal and use the wages freed up by Griezmann and Coutinho to pay Ronaldo’s salary.

Barcelona, already under financial duress, may find the deal too expensive to handle, but studies show that bringing two of the world’s best in one team will double Barça’s revenue.

It would be a massive boost for LaLiga, which has sorely missed the Portugal captain since his 2018 departure from Real Madrid.

Also read: Ronaldo’s red card on Coca-Cola may not be in the best interests of sport

Meanwhile, Messi’s contract with Blaugrana will expire by June end, but he is unlikely to leave his favourite club despite much better offers that could pay him three times his present salary. Reports suggest the club is close to finalising Messi’s new contract.

Sportbible reported that the Catalan giants have been focusing more on free transfers this summer, with Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay all having joined for no transfer fee.