Barcelona presidential candidate Agusti Benedito admits the Liga giants would find it difficult to compete with Paris Saint-Germain if the Ligue 1 club decided to make a play for Lionel Messi.
A talismanic figure at Camp Nou continues to run down the final year of his contract and is due to hit free agency in the summer of 2021.
There is still time for fresh terms to be thrashed out in Catalunya, but Messi will be freed to speak with interested parties from January if no new deal is put in place.