Barcelona president Joan Laporta says they lost Lionel Messi to PSG after refusing to sign the LaLiga's CVC Capital investment agreement.
He claimed that LaLiga requested the club to put pen to paper on the CVC agreement in order to give them the green light to renew Messi's contract, one which expired on July 1.
"What happened is what has been explained," Laporta told Esport3.
"There are objective data. Everyone can compare. We were pressured that we would either sign the CVC loan [deal] or there is no fair play.
"There was no margin. There was a pre-agreement and we had shaken hands. There were several agreements and LaLiga seemed to accept it, but then they said no without CVC. We didn't think that the situation was going to improve and we put an end to it.
"Messi could not have stayed even with [Antoine] Griezmann's [departure] and with the salary reduction of the captains. But it is important that we have lowered the salary cap because next year we can be more ambitious.
"I think we were both sad because the situation was not what we wanted. I have not spoken with Messi since. I saw his debut with PSG and it was strange to see him at another team, rivals [of Barcelona]. I did not like seeing him in another shirt."
