Does Barcelona Want To Sell Lionel Messi?

Lionel Messi is considered by some to be soccer’s greatest player ever, but that may not stop Barcelona from looking to move the star in 2016.

Talk about your Messi divorces.

Amid rumblings from superstar Lionel Messi that he might leave Barcelona (per the Argentinian newspaper Ole), there are now reports on Spanish radio that the board of Barcelona wants to sell Messi.

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Messi, the first player to win FIFA’s prestigious Ballon d’Or four times, has been with Barcelona his entire career, joining the side’s C team at age 16 and moving to the senior squad at 17 in 2004.

In 288 La Liga matches for Barcelona, Messi has 250 goals and including Copa del Rey and UEFA competition, he has 364 goals in 437 games.

However, a report in England’s Guardian says Messi may be looking to leave Spain to avoid tax problems.

Messi had a run-in with Spanish authorities last year when it was alleged he hid more than $5 million earned from image rights in shell companies in South America.

The Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, citing “sources close to Messi,” reported that Messi feels like he is being singled out by Spanish authorities.

"“There are other elite sportspeople who have tax problems and they’ve all been settled administratively, as was the case with Real Madrid players Xabi Alonso and Iker Casillas and tennis star Rafa Nadal,” one source said. “Messi is the only one who faces legal proceedings that could end with him going to jail. He’s fed up with Spain and that’s why he wants to leave.”"

But here’s the question: If Messi does hit the market in 2016, who could afford him? It’s likely to be a very short list of clubs.

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