Barcelona are preparing for life after Lionel Messi, says Josep Maria Bartomeu

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says the club are preparing for life after Lionel Messi.

The captain is contracted to the club until the summer of 2021, but Bartomeu says the club are already putting plans in place for when he departs.

“I know one day Lionel will say he’s retiring,” Bartomeu said.

“We have to prepare the club for the future. We are bringing great young players to the team because we need to continue this era of success. That’s our responsibility.

”My mandate will be finished in two seasons. So I need to leave the club in a great position and tell the new president ‘that’s our legacy’.”

Source | BBC 5 live Football Daily Podcast with Guillem Balague

Replacing Messi is an impossible task but Barcelona have moved to bring in young players in recent transfer windows.

Malcom, Ousmane Dembele, Arthur, Frenkie de Jong and Jean-Clair Todibo are all under 22 and have been brought in with an eye to the future.