Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta has shared his belief that the club’s treatment of Luis Suarez has him suspecting that they wish to sell Lionel Messi too.

Various reports in the media have stated that newly appointed Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has chosen to communicate his decision that Suarez is not part of his plans to the player over a telephone call opposed to doing so in a face to face meeting.

At the same time, Messi’s future is very much up in the air due to his expiring contract status. The Argentine national team player, who made his first team debut during Laporta’s tenure as Barcelona president, has spent his whole career with Barcelona and has been linked with potential moves to Inter, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Laporta took to social media platform Twitter to share his views on Barcelona’s treatment of Suarez, who has little under a year left on his current contract.

He posted: “Have they told Suárez that they no longer count on him over the phone? It seems to me like an act of cowardice on the part of the president and a lack of respect for the player.

“This way of acting is unthinkable and damages the club and the image of the club. It makes me suspect that they want to sell Messi, it would be a historical mistake. Poor Barça, in the hands of these incompetent people.”