The Spaniard's reign looks to be coming to a swift
end, with the club's talisman calling for the return of
the man who gave him is debut, Frank Rijkaard
Josep Bartomeu has told Lionel Messi he will sack
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique after Sunday's clash
against Atletico Madrid, with the Argentine believed
to have requested the appointment of Frank
Rijkaard.
The pair held a meeting on Friday, and reports on
Spain's TV3 show Esports Club claim the Barcelona
chief informed Messi of his plans, with the Argentine
calling for the return of Rijkaard - the man who gave
him his debut in 2004.
Barca beat Elche 5-0 in the Copa del Rey on
Thursday night to ease the pressure on Luis
Enrique, whose relationship with the club's talisman
has disintegrated after he was dropped for the 1-0
defeat to Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Rumours have been rife in Catalan newspapers that
the pair have had a number of confrontations, which
neither have denied.
But Luis Enrique isn't expected to last much longer
after being whistled by sections of the Camp Nou
crowd, while Messi was afforded a typically grand
reception, which appears to have confirmed
Bartomeu's plans.
The club's president is under-fire himself following
Barca's failure to win an appeal over a ban on
transfers until 2016 and the subsequent sacking of
sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta last week.
Carles Puyol also departed his role at the club,
before Bartomeu announced the decision to hold a
presidential election in the summer, one year ahead
of schedule, amid rumours former chief Joan
Laporta could launch a campaign to return to his
former role.
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