OUTRAGED Ronald Koeman cannot believe Barcelona made him offload Lionel Messi – then bought £45m Ferran Torres after they sacked him.
Koeman questioned if Barca had a hidden agenda as he had a summer clear-out but successor Xavi signed four players in January.
The Dutch manager says 'it makes you wonder if something else was happening' and for now he feels unable to visit the Nou Camp again.
The former Holland, Everton and Southampton chief has broken his silence over his axing last October when the Spanish giants were ninth in LaLiga.
And he seems as bitter over legend Messi's departure as he is surprised by Manchester City winger Torres later arriving, telling Dutch newspaper AD: "It was at the insistence of the club's hierarchy that I agreed to the departure of certain players to help put the finances in order.
"But then when you see that they sign someone for £45m shortly after letting Messi go, it makes you wonder if something else was happening.
"Why did Messi have to leave?"
Seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, 34, joined PSG in August 2021 after 21 years at Barca due to contract problems.
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Fellow 30-somethings Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic and Antoine Griezmann also left under Koeman amid financial cutbacks.
But Xavi brought in Torres, 38-year-old Dani Alves, Wolves winger Adama Traore and Arsenal's record earner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the last transfer window.
Koeman added: "Barcelona didn't give me the same time as Xavi.
"It is still painful for me. I was working with many injured players."
The 58-year-old also believes Nou Camp president Joan Laporta misled him over Xavi replacing in.
He said: "Laporta told me a thousand times that Xavi would not be his coach because he lacked experience.
"But I was not Laporta's coach. I had that feeling from the first moment.
"After he was elected [in March] there was no click. There was a lack of the necessary support from above."
"I really wanted to succeed at Barcelona but I realised that Laporta wanted to get rid of me because I was not appointed by him.
"You won't see me at Camp Nou for a while, I can't do that yet.
"With this president, I can't pretend that nothing happened."
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