Ronald Koeman sacked, Pep Guardiola replaces him as manager and Lionel Messi stays – What happens at Barcelona after Josep Maria Bartomeu’s resignation?

Barcelona may have beaten Juventus this week, but all is not well at the Camp Nou.

Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned as the Spanish club's president on Tuesday, along with the rest of the board of directors.

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With a petition among club members to remove him reaching 20,000 signatures, the 57-year-old opted to leave his post five months early rather than face a vote of no confidence.

Financial mismanagement and poor work in the transfer market since his arrival in 2014 have led to growing resentment among supporters.

The summer's Lionel Messi saga, which saw the club's greatest ever player attempting to leave the club where he has spent his entire senior career, was the final straw.

Now, Bartomeu is gone and a brighter future should be around the corner... but not quite.

Whoever becomes the next president, they face a huge battle on and off the pitch with a mismatched squad and money problems, while also trying to ensure supporters remain on side.

Barcelona are one of the biggest clubs in world football and getting them back to where they once were is a huge task to undertake.

What happens next?

An election will happen and currently it is business executive and media entrepreneur Victor Font who is favourite to win the vote.

Ex-president Joan Laporta is also in the race, although he doesn't seem to have a solid plan.

A Barcelona member, Font is keen to reform the club by turning to some of their biggest names of their past, and has vowed to ensure it becomes economically stable while remaining in the hands of supporters.

His 'Si al futur' (Yes to the Future) campaign is seeking to build a new Barca by 2030 as they look to compete after all the members of their 'golden generation' are no longer in the side.

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La Masia is the focus again

It was once said Barcelona make superstars while Real Madrid buy them, but right now it has completely flipped.

Real Madrid are bringing in young talents to help them progress, while Barca have been forking out millions in a bid to keep them at the top of the table in Spain and Europe.

Huge fees for Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele haven't paid off, while Antoine Griezmann hasn't been as effective as fans and management wanted.

Font dreams of the 'old days' when the core of the team were La Masia graduates and hopes to make it happen, believing every role at the club should be taken by someone who knows Barcelona's model.

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Sort out the finances

It's believed the current economic situation may well be the hardest the club has ever faced.

It's no surprise on several levels considering Barcelona is owned by supporters, and they have also failed to spend wisely in the transfer market.

Font wants to improve the way the club currently generate money across the globe so they can remain self-sufficient and not rely on billionaires and huge companies to fund their transfer expenditure and wages.

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Ronald Koeman sacked, Pep Guardiola in?

Font has suggested there would be no place for Ronald Koeman should he take over as president.

He has a clear and bold plan to restore the glory days at the Catalan giants - starting with a move to lure old boss Pep Guardiola back to the club.

He also wants to hand roles to Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Carles Puyol as he looks to create a new dynasty that will convince Messi to see out his remaining days at the club.

Messi was heavily linked with a reunion with Guardiola at Man City over the summer, but Font has no doubt he will stay if he takes the presidency.

"Most of the best professionals who know about this style are also fans and love the club, like Pep Guardiola, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol," Font told Sky Sports News.

"They are all legends that love Barcelona but do not work for Barca today - we need to bring them back to ensure we will have a very competitive project.

"The only thing Messi needs is to know he is part of a competitive project that aspires to win the next Champions League.

"We have no doubt that if we basically have the honour to take the helm of FC Barcelona we will be able to achieve that (Messi staying)."

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If Laporta gets the nod ahead of Font, though, he wants legendary boss Guardiola to come back and take charge.

He said back in May: “I would very much like Guardiola to come back but now he is at City and it is a decision that Pep should take. He is a benchmark for Barcelona and many Catalans would like him to coach Barça again.

"At the right time, I will speak to the person we think should be a Barça coach from 2021.”

Lionel Messi

Whatever happens in the next few months, it's clear the long-term plan is to have the living legend become a key figure off the pitch when he retires.

Font told talkSPORT recently: "The ties between Messi and Barcelona are very deep; he came to the city 20 years ago, he’s been playing for this club all his life. Messi is Barcelona, Barcelona is Messi, and what we need to ensure is that even if he leaves now these ties between Messi are Barcelona prevail.

“We have a plan, and the plan we have for the future is the club would like to count on Messi, even after he retires.”

But in the short-term it's clear the Argentine can still be a huge figure at the Camp Nou and all will be done to keep him.

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European Super League

On the way out of the Camp Nou, Bartomeu dropped one last bombshell.

He said: “I can announce some extraordinary news,” said Bartomeu. “Yesterday we accepted a proposal to participate in a future European Super League, which would guarantee the future financial sustainability of the club. And we’ve accepted the future CWC [Club World Cup] format.”

It's not totally guaranteed as it would need to be voted on by club members but the fact it has the potential to improve the club's poor economic state can't be ignored.

If it does go ahead it wouldn't start until 2024 and who knows what will happen before then...