Barcelona were plunged into crisis when Lionel Messi informed the club he wanted to leave.
The Argentina superstar told the club, via fax, that he wanted to enact a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave on a free transfer.
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Barcelona will dispute this as the clause actually expired in May but Messi is understood to feel that it should be extended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Whatever happens, the 33-year-old has made it clear he wants out of the Camp Nou.
Barcelona will have to begin their search for their next star but replacing a club legend with 634 goals will be a tough ask.
Here at talkSPORT.com, we’ve taken a look at who the Catalan club could sign as an alternative to Messi.
Kylian Mbappe
Barcelona will want another superstar to replace Messi and there is no-one with as much potential to be a great like Mbappe.
The 21-year-old is already a World Cup winner, something Messi has never managed, and perennial trophy winner with Paris Saint-Germain.
The France striker has already scored 121 goals in 196 club games and is destined for a special career if he carries on at his current trajectory.
Mbappe was the second most expensive player ever when PSG signed him from Monaco for £162million.
It would cost a princely sum to prise him away from the French capital but would be a solid investment in the future.
Although his preferred position would be through the middle, he has shown he can play on either the wide left or right of a front three.
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Neymar
There would be some familiarity of the Brazilian were to return to Barcelona.
Neymar joined PSG in 2017 from the Camp Nou in a world record £198m transfer and has enjoyed plenty of success in France.
Despite injury hit seasons, he has still scored 70 times in 85 appearances and helped them win the league title in each of his three seasons.
The Champions League still eludes him at PSG as they were beaten by Bayern Munich in this year’s final. He did win it in 2015 with Barcelona, though.
At Barcelona, he was one third of the Messi, Suarez and Neymar partnership that brought so much success to the club.
The Spanish club have been linked with a move to bring the Brazilian forward back to the Camp Nou, with Messi said to be unhappy that he hadn’t been re-signed.
With Messi and Suarez potentially leaving, it could cause some hesitation for him going back but he would return as the main man of the attack.
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Jadon Sancho
Sancho’s much protracted links with Manchester United never materialised in a move this summer.
In the end, United were the only team who seriously considered a transfer for the Borussia Dortmund star due to the cost involved in the transfer.
If Messi does leave then there will be a gaping hole on the right with his 25 goals and 21 assists likely to be a big loss.
Sancho has proved himself to be capable of both scoring and assisting in the Bundesliga. He ended the 2019/20 campaign with 17 goals and 16 assists.
The 20-year-old would cost north of £100m but would be a solid investment in the future.
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Sadio Mane
The Liverpool forward has often been linked with Barcelona’s rivals Real Madrid but he might be tempted by an offer from the Catalan club.
Mane has now won the Premier League and Champions League with the Reds and at some point may want a new challenge.
The 28-year-old has consistently shown himself to be one of the best players in the Premier League over the last two seasons.
He has scored 48 total goals over the last two trophy winning seasons for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Mane is a popular player with Liverpool and would no doubt win over the fans at the Camp Nou if given the chance.
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Riyad Mahrez
Messi has been linked with Man City and if he does go then there could be another departure before the season starts.
Leroy Sane was signed by Bayern Munich and Ferran Torres was added from Valencia as a like-for-like replacement.
Pep Guardiola’s go-to attack would be Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Messi.
Mahrez may seek a move looking for more regular first-team football as he would be competing with the Argentina superstar, Bernardo Silva and Torres.
Mbappe was the second most expensive player ever when PSG signed him from Monaco for £162million.
It would cost a princely sum to prise him away from the French capital but would be a solid investment in the future.
Although his preferred position would be through the middle, he has shown he can play on either the wide left or right of a front three.
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Ansu Fati
Barcelona have historically produced their best talent through their famous La Masia academy.
The likes of Messi, Xavi and Andreas Iniesta all graduated to the first team to become some of the best players in the world.
Barca may look to promote from within to continue that tradition and the most likely candidate is Fati.
The 17-year-old made his first-team debut this season and quickly impressed in LaLiga where he scored seven times in 24 total appearances.
Fati is still young but has plenty of potential. Barcelona may want someone to hit the ground running but the youngster could be Messi’s eventual successor.
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