Joan Laporta: 'Barcelona have repeatedly lied to Lionel Messi'

Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed that the Catalan club have 'repeatedly lied' to star man Lionel Messi.

The Argentine requested to leave the club last summer and although he stayed at Camp Nou, speculation continues to circulate over the 33-year-old's future at the club.

Laporta, who was previously president at the club from 2003 to 2010, has revealed that promises have not been kept and that a player of Messi's quality, who has such a great legacy at the club, deserves better.

"He needs to see that there is a competitive team to reignite the love story Barca had with the Champions League, but which has been on hold in recent years," Laporta told ESPN.

"[The club] have repeatedly lied to him and, on top of that, things haven't gone as everyone wanted. He is at a point in his career where he still wants to be successful and win titles.

"He cannot keep accepting that other teams win the Champions League and Barca, with Lionel, the best player in the history of the game, do not have a team competitive enough to be able to win it."

Messi, who has been heavily linked with both Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, will be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with other clubs interested in him next month, with his current contract expiring next summer.