GXCity said:The main problem I see is that they wouldn't want to be seen to be doing so in their fans eyes. They would want Messi to agitate for the move and he probably wouldn't want to do so because of the fans. Bit of a catch 22 situation for Messi and Barca
I think the signing of Neymar already goes some way towards smoothing this over, and the move can be presented in a positive light (new challenge for a great servant to the club, securing finances for the next generation of players etc). It could even be a deal which includes a sell back clause at the end of his contract so he can finish his career there.
I think the bigger obstacle would be Barcelona knowing that the deal would make us the stronger team and giving them even more competition for the Champions League (knowing they are already behind Bayern in European football). However, it may be acknowlegded that if they don't sell Messi they will end up even further behind by not being able to buy several top players. They have to look ahead and build a squad for when Neymar is at his peak in 5 or 6 years. Basically, if they need the money this will happen. If they don't have that pressure then I can't see it happening.