'Won't accept apology unless they send us Messi'

Roma president James Pallotta said he will not accept Barcelona’s apology for their ‘immoral and unethical’ signing of Malcom unless the Catalan’s send their star man Lionel Messi to Roma as a peace offering.

Malcom’s former club Bordeaux announced on Monday that a deal worth of 38 million euros had been agreed with the Serie A side with just medical and personal terms left to be agreed later.

But soon after the Ligue 1 side’s statement was released, Barcelona’s interest emerged and the La Liga champions moved to complete a deal worth up to €41m (£36.5m/$48m) on Tuesday.

In an interview with Sirius XM, Pallotta said that although the club had apologized for what they did, the American businessman will not be accepting it unless Barcelona send Messi to Rome.

“In terms of Barcelona, it looks like a pattern for them over the last few years of doing things that just should not be done at a club with the reputation that Barcelona intends to have,” Pallotta said, as quoted by his club’s website.

“In fact, they apologised for their actions and how they went about things. I don’t accept the apology.

“The only way I’ll accept it is on either one of two conditions: one, they give the player to us. That’s obviously not going to happen.

“Two, maybe as a goodwill gesture at the very least they could send us Messi!” said Pallotta.

Pallotta claimed that his club already had a deal in place and Malcom was also eager to join the Serie A side with all the arrangements for Malcom to travel to Rome for a medical was made. He also said that he does not have a problem battling out for a player with other big clubs but the other clubs also need to go through the ‘same process’ of signing a player unlike Barcelona on this occasion.

“I think in this case the player wanted to come to us. I think a lot of clubs were interested in him but did not want to bother him because maybe they did not think they had a shot at him in terms of the timing.

“We had a guy over there talking with the player in person. The deal was done.

“I have zero problem battling it out for a player with another big club, if we are all going through the same process trying to get him. That's the way it works.

“But, at the end of the day, when the deal is done and completely agreed… we all know how it works, the kid comes in for a medical and then it is signed.

“Other teams know not to come in and do what Barcelona did. Bordeaux should never have done what they did – the legal side will come later, but it is immoral and unethical too.” Pallotta concluded.