Ronald Koeman admits Barcelona would struggle to score without Lionel Messi

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has confessed he hopes to see Lionel Messi stay at the club because otherwise his side would have serious problems in front of goal.

Messi bagged his 30th goal of the La Liga season in Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Celta Vigo - a loss which has eliminated Barcelona from the title race - and it may have been his final appearance at Camp Nou if he decides against renewing his contract.

For obvious reasons, Koeman has made no secret of his desire to see Messi stay, but he confessed the rest of his side must find a way to score more goals. Antoine Griezmann is second in the scoring charts with 12 and Ousmane Dembele comes in third with just six, and the boss wants that to change.

"We hope it was not Leo's last game at Camp Nou because he is still the best player in the world and he has shown today that it is impossible to play without him," Koeman said (via Marca). "He has already scored 30 goals that have given this team a lot of points.

"It is a question for Leo. We hope that he continues with us because if we don't have Leo, we have doubts over how we'll score so many goals."

It might not even be Koeman's problem to solve as president Joan Laporta is said to have already decided that the Dutchman will be sacked this summer. Talks with Al-Sadd boss Xavi have been planned and it seems as though Koeman's days at Camp Nou are numbered.

At the minute, the signs suggest Messi will remain at Barcelona beyond this season, but addressing the lack of goals behind him will be a top priority for whoever is in the dugout next season.

Laporta's desire to shock the world and sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland is well-known, but Marca state that Real Sociedad's Alexander Isak remains on the list of potential alternatives if Barça cannot find the £150m needed to sign Haaland (which they 100% can't).

As all these reports do, they take Isak's value from Transfermarkt and suggest he could be worth £27m, but that figure means absolutely nothing in the real world and nobody knows just how much Isak would cost.

In terms of cheaper alternatives, Manchester City's Sergio Aguero is inching closer to sealing a free transfer to the club, while Lyon's Memphis Depay is also an option to do the same - although Koeman's potential departure would almost certainly scupper that as it's the boss who has been pushing for his fellow countryman's signature.

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