Laporta boasts: Barca better than Real Madrid

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said his team is better than bitter rivals Real Madrid and can not only retain LaLiga next season, but also win the Champions League.

Barca returned to preseason training earlier this week and have made two signings in the transfer window so far — Ilkay Gundogan and Iñigo Martinez.

“We have a better team than Madrid and, individually, we are also better, with some difference than our rivals,” Laporta told Sport. “As a club member and fan, I am very satisfied with the team we are building.”

Madrid, who finished as runners-up to Barca last season in LaLiga, have added Jude Bellingham, Joselu, Fran Garcia and former Barca target Arda Guler this summer.

“We already have a very competitive team,” Laporta said. “We have won the Spanish League and we can continue exercising dominance in this competition. We also want to be in the group of candidates to win the Champions League.

“I focus on making a good team over signing individuals. We have signed Gundogan and Martinez and they will give us great performances like the others that are going to come.

“We are missing a right-back and we are working on it. We also want to reinforce our midfield line.”

However, Barca failed in their attempt to bring Lionel Messi back to the club.

The 2022 World Cup winner is to be unveiled at Inter Miami on Sunday after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent last month.

“He had the idea of coming this time, we wanted him to come,” Laporta said. “It has not happened.

“We had authorisation from LaLiga for Leo’s contract to be included. It was something that was discussed with Jorge [Lionel Messi’s father and agent] and everything was defined.

“Jorge told us that he [Messi] had decided on Inter Miami because he had spent some very hard seasons in Paris, where he was under a lot of pressure, that in Miami he would be calmer and could think about the national team. We haven’t talked anymore.”

Laporta believes it is difficult to envision Messi, 36, returning to play for Barca before the end of his career.