Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, has assured fans of Spain's top division that he has "prepared well" for the possibility of Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona.
The Covid-19 pandemic has already damaged the league's bottom line, with the Blaugranes alone responsible for €1.2 billion (£1.1b/$1.5b) in debt, and the exit of a main attraction like Messi would appear a worrisome moment.
But Tebas believes La Liga is financially secure enough to withstand any harm.
What has Tebas said about Messi?
"[Messi] couldn’t leave Barcelona because of an agreement in his contract, but as I said about Cristiano [Ronaldo], we also are prepared financially for this moment," Tebas told the Egyptian cable channel ONsport.
"Cristiano leaving Real Madrid was a decision made by the club. I don’t have the right to say anything, but I always prefer to have the best players in La Liga, the same happened with Neymar before.
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"Cristiano was the ultimate goalscorer in La Liga and we were affected by his departure, but financial the impact was minimal because we prepared well for this moment."
How did Tebas describe La Liga's financial situation?
"We didn’t know that it would take so much time [playing without fans]," Tebas said. "If we keep on witnessing a decrease in coronavirus numbers, maybe the fans will return sooner.
"The financial losses [for the league] reached €2 billion, but we decreased it to €1.1 billion due to cutting down some expenses."
Barca elects new leader
Just before Tebas spoke with ONsport, Barcelona elected Joan Laporta to be their president. Laporta's mission is to convince Messi to stay with the Catalan club - a goal that aligns with what Tebas prefers to happen this summer.
"Finally Barcelona has a president after all the mess in the few past months," Tebas said. "We have to wait and see how he will perform."
