La Liga chief Javier Tebas has insisted that the division would be able to cope if Lionel Messi left Barcelona.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is one of the biggest draws in football and undoubtedly the most high-profile name in the Spanish top flight following Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus in 2018.
Former Inter Milan chief Massimo Moratti this week suggested that Messi could follow Ronaldo to Serie A by joining the Nerazzurri and, while Messi himself has rejected those claims, Tebas insists that the league would still survive without the Barcelona talisman.
"I do not think that the arrival of Messi can solve the problems of Serie A, which are linked to the bad relationship between debts, high and insufficient collections," Tebas is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
"Serie A's figures are stressed, and these economic problems certainly are not solved by Leo Messi. I would like Messi to stay here, but if he leaves it would not be a drama.
"It was said that without Cristiano Ronaldo the league would have lost money, and instead we have earned it, even in Portugal. Players help but are not essential to a championship."
Messi has spent his entire career at Barcelona so far, scoring 627 goals in 718 appearances for the Catalan giants.
Barney Corkhill
