Richard definitely knew there had been complications with Messi's situation—even before he truly joined Barcelona. If he remembered correctly, the issue was medical. A condition that made most clubs walk away.
"Has Barcelona really contacted them yet?" he asked.
Marina shook her head. "No. So far, the only club that's reached out to Messi's family is River Plate. Just initial interest though, nothing official. But from what I've heard, Barcelona's first-team director, Carles Rexach, is the one pushing behind the scenes. He really believes in Messi. He's trying to convince the board to act before someone else does."
Richard nodded slowly. Rexach was a sharp judge of talent. But the Barcelona board was conservative—especially when it came to risking money on unproven kids from abroad.
Especially...
"That's the real issue," Richard said. "The medical costs. No one wants to take on a long-term financial burden for a 13-year-old unless they're absolutely sure he's worth it."
