Brazil legend Kaka has said he doesn't know if Lionel Messi will depart Barcelona, but he can imagine the Argentinian icon playing at another club.
Messi recently voiced his discontent after comments from Barca sporting director Eric Abidal about the Camp Nou squad, forcing club president Josep Maria Bartomeu to reportedly step in between the pair.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Kaka said Messi's motives for his response to Abidal are unclear.
"From outside it's really hard to say something you don't know. I don't know if Messi wants to leave or if he just wants to protect the players as a captain," Kaka said. "Abidal is in the club's position and he is speaking as the club's sporting director."
When asked whether he could envisage Messi playing at another club, Kaka replied:
"I think so. It's not going to be a problem for him in the Premier League or a top club in the top three leagues in the world.
"It depends on what he wants for his career. It's hard to see him play for another club but [he might say], 'it's ok, it's time for me to change, I'm going to have another experience. I will be the best football player in the world at another team'."
Kaka added he can see similarities between Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid exit and Messi's potential desire to prove himself with a new team.
Per Juan Jimenez of AS, Messi posted an Instagram story responding to Abidal's claim members of the squad were unhappy under former manager Ernesto Valverde, prompting Barca to replace him with Quique Setien. Messi wrote: "I think that when someone mentions players, they should give names because if they don't, they are tarring everyone with the same brush and fuelling gossip—a lot of which is not true."
Realistically, there are very few teams on the planet who could either afford Messi's personal terms or offer him the chance of increased glory.
The richest clubs outside of Spain can offer the attacker a fresh challenge, and England's top sides would surely battle Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus for his services if he came onto the market.
The Premier League remains an enticing division to feature in, and Messi might see the competition as a viable alternative to Spanish football.
However, his love and attachment to Barca could be the deciding factor. The player has now been in Catalonia for 19 years since joining the Blaugrana's famed La Masia youth academy as a boy.
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