Marco Verratti Criticizes Lionel Messi, Rules Out Barcelona Move

Marco Verratti has committed his future to Paris Saint-Germain after ruling out a potential summer move to Barcelona.

The Italian midfielder has impressed since joining the Ligue 1 giants from Serie A outfit Pescara in 2012 and has continually been linked with a move away from the Parc des Princes with Barcelona touted to be his most likely destination.

Verratti is a mainstay in Unai Emery’s midfield making 36 appearances in all competitions thus far this season while his partners have fluctuated from game to game. Thiago Motta, Lassana Diarra, Adrien Rabiot and Julien Draxler have partnered him in midfield during the course of the campaign.

Apart from the Spanish giants, clubs from the Premier League, namely Manchester United and Chelsea have been linked with moves for the Italy international. The French club are not interested in letting one of their key players leave to a European rival and will be buoyed by the midfielder’s recent comments.

Verratti has made it clear that he has no intention of leaving the French capital club and has targeted further success with his current employers. They are almost certain to win the Ligue 1 title this season, but were again knocked out in the last 16 of the Champions League by defending champions Real Madrid.

"I have read that Raiola has offered me to Barcelona,” Verratti told Italian publication Gazzeta Dello Sport. “It’s false. I have talked with my managers, they know what I think, things are clear, I decided to stay.”

“I have the right to win with the PSG that allowed me to grow as a man, and to share an ambitious project, I hope so my companions think so. A defeat cannot eliminate everything,” the Italian midfielder added referring to their recent Champions League defeat to Real.

Verratti, meanwhile, looks to have burnt his bridges in terms of a potential move to Barcelona in the future by criticizing the Catalan club’s talisman Lionel Messi. The PSG midfielder has claimed the Argentine maestro is given preferential treatment by the referees and cited his sending off during their recent loss to European champions Real in the Champions League at the Parc des Princes.

The Italian midfielder received his marching orders after he picked up his second yellow of the game for arguing with the official. While admitting that his actions were wrong, he also said he believes the Barcelona player gets away without a warning for similar actions.

The red card against Real was Verratti’s second of the season as he had picked up one in the league against Toulouse at the start of the 2017/18 campaign. In terms of yellow cards, he is tied second in Ligue 1 with three other players having picked eight thus far.

"It was a bad reaction but I didn't insult anybody, whereas Messi goes around pointing his finger in the referee's face and doesn't even get punished,” the PSG star explained.

“But anyway, I need to improve. I got it wrong against Real, but it was a red card out of frustration and sometimes referees could be more tolerant.”