Barcelona are set to re-sign Lionel Messi and Simon Jordan is “pleased” the star is staying in the “dreadful” La Liga instead of moving to the Premier League.
Messi’s contract with the Spanish giants ran out on June 30 and many had speculated where he would be playing his football next season.
But the footballing legend has remained loyal to his club of 18 years and will sign a new a five-year deal.
Fans may be disappointed not to see the 34-year-old move over to try his hand in England but former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan has said he is delighted.
He told talkSPORT: “I don’t want our league to be turned into the Harlem Globetrotters or a replication of the Galácticos mentality.
“Lionel Messi at his best would have been an absolute revelation in the Premier League despite the idea he wouldn’t play away at a wet Stoke or a West Bromwich Albion on a Tuesday.
“The facts of the matters is if you get Lionel Messi now, he’s not the Messi you would have wanted to have seen. It’s like Floyd Mayweather fighting Manny Pacquiao when he did. It was a good fight but it wasn’t the fight we wanted to see.
“I’m not sad to not see him rock up here. I’m not sad to see the mentality of this enormous salary be brought into the Premier League so our poor underpaid Premier League stars can say ‘hang on a second by that level, we’re underpaid’.
“So I’m pleased he’s staying with Barcelona. I’m pleased he’s staying in that dreadful Spanish league where they have the audacity to point a finger at our league and say that we break the transfer records.”
Messi has agreed to reduced wages to help the financial strain put on the club.
The Argentina international had recently described the club’s past season as a crucial ‘turning point’.
He said: “The cup was special because of the time we are in, and we had a good year because of different results.
“It’s a young team, with new people and this cup for the dressing room was a very important turning point.”
Messi’s contract isn’t the only high profile transfer news coming out of the Spanish club, as they are in talks with Atletico Madrid about a loan swap involving Antoine Griezmann.
The 30-year-old could be swapped with Atletico’s Saúl Niguez which would see the French international return to his former club.
Griezmann moved from Atletico to Barca in 2019 for €120m (£102.5m).
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