Inter linked Lionel Messi’s father Jorge Messi has admitted that it will be difficult for his son to remain a Barcelona player.

Messi recently rocked the footballing world by telling Barcelona via fax message that he wished to leave the club and speculation as to where his future will lie has been rife in the media ever since.

Inter aside, Manchester City have been very strongly linked with a move for him and have reportedly already got some contract terms agreed with him. French powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with the 33-year-old multi-time world player of the year.

“How do I see his future at Barcelona? Difficult…difficult,” Messi senior explained to Spanish broadcaster Deportes Cuatro as he arrived at Barcelona airport ahead of talks with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu yesterday afternoon.

Asked about the Manchester City links he responded: “I don’t know anything. I have not talked to Guardiola.”

During the 2019/20 season, Messi made 44 appearances across all competitions. In just over 3800 minutes, the 33-year-old scored 31 goals and provided his teammates with a total of 26 assists.