Bartomeu and the signing of Lautaro by Barça: “We will talk to Inter at the end of the Champions League”

Josep Maria Bartomeu attended BeIn Sports on the eve of the match against Napoli. These were his manifestations:

Club sensations: “The feelings are positive. The players are training with great desire. With the pressure they have for each match, but this year it will be special. We have high hopes for the Champions League, many hopes. We are prepared for it”

Do you like the format?: (laughs) “The format I like is the traditional one, but the pandemic has changed UEFA's plans. We have organized the best possible format to adapt to”

Self-criticism: “Self-criticism has been made as a result of some results. Positive self-criticism. We have reached a situation where we know where the possible errors are and what we have tried is to fix it and train stronger. We have renewed hopes and encouragement.”

Will Setién continue? “Yes. We have already said it several times. Setién is going to continue being the coach and also next season is going to be different. Different and young players come to the team, Barça B players like Riqui, Ansu and Araujo permanently. Outside players like Trincao, Pedri, Pjanic come. We have to do that work and we put our trust in Setién. “

There is talk of Messi's future. Have you always been calm? “Yes. I'm not saying it, Leo said it, he wants to end his professional life at Barça. He is a man for a club. Leo Messi, in three, four, many years, will stop playing, but he will play in Barça. This has been his club, he came as a child, he feels the colors. He is the best player in history, he is at Barça and he is clear that this is his club forever. “

Are you sure Ter Stegen will follow? “Yes. He is a doorman and an excellent person. Marc, with the current situation, has asked to be calmer to talk about his future. But his future passes yes or yes for Barça. She is young and when all the Covid-19 is over, we will talk to Marc to finish the renovation. “

What is the version of the Arthur-Pjanic affair? “The version is that Barça receives a good offer for Arthur; Arthur had a good offer from Juventus. An offer that Barça cannot reach, which is a renewal offer that Barça cannot reach. And if it does an agreement.

Didn't the club push you out? “No. But I say it again. The offer for the player and for Barça was good. They are offers that Barça cannot say no to. And it has been good for us to sign Pjanic, a player that Barça makes years I was chasing. That Pjanic comes is positive news.

Is the file resolved? “No. It is an internal, club subject that is handled with discretion. But I already said that the fact that Arthur has not returned from vacation we did not like at all and we think that it is not good for his teammates because the team did so. It was not justifiable and that's why a file has been opened.

Will you make an effort for Neymar? “There is a Covid situation that makes the economic situation not good. I have been saying for days that we do not foresee major operations in the world of soccer, of the top teams. PSG is top, United is top. Difficult there are operations this summer.

What circumstances should be in place for Neymar to return? “First that PSG wanted to sell to Neymar, who I know he does not want. It is not an issue that concerns us.”

Is there a date to reactivate the signing of Lautaro? “No, because we are awaiting international matches. When the Champions League ends, we will talk to Inter. But that issue is absolutely stopped.”

Is it a goal for him? “We have very good players. Sometimes good players want to bring them in but they are difficult situations.”

Are Pedri and Trincao for sale? “No. Neither they, nor Araujo, nor Riqui, nor Ansu. We are trying to create a new generation of players.”

Will there be a contract upgrade for Ansu? “It already has the agreed conditions. What interests us is that it continues to progress.”

Economic losses: “Ovid has affected football, the big clubs. We have had 200 million less income and that impacts the income statement. In the next two or three years, the situation will be affected by the pandemic.”

Will people return to the Camp Nou? “We have the project Espai Net i Segur so that people return to the Camp Nou in a percentage, but we are subject to what the health authorities say.”

Message to the fans: “Positive, joy, effort, and hope. But it all comes down to eliminating Napoli, which is a strong team. But the players are well trained.”

The party headquarters: “It would have been very strange not to play it at Camp Nou. The situation in Catalonia is improving and we are living a normal life. Our players, at home.”

De Laurentiis' statements: “I do not share them. It is our responsibility that things return to normal. A correct message is that of UEFA, trying to achieve maximum normality. We hope to reach the final stage in Lisbon.”