Barcelona chief Mateu Alemany admits there was an expectation that Lionel Messi would leave last summer.
Messi's departure from the Nou Camp was the story of the summer as the Ballon d'Or winner left the Catalan side after 21 years.
The Argentine joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer but emotionally claimed that he had done "all that he could to stay, because he wanted to stay" at Barcelona.
"Unfortunately, Messi's departure was not a surprise," he told Marca.
"It was the reality of the moment. The only way for him to stay was for Barça to join something that we did not want to join.
"We decided that the club was above any other person. We've lost a lot commercially."
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