The franchise star. The player that every sports team expects to not only play with it for the duration of his career, but also the player expected to be the representation of said club both on and off the field, pitch, rink or court. Then there is Lionel Messi. He is more than just a franchise star. He is a generational superstar. A phenom that only comes once every decade or two. Barcelona's superstar was expected to play forever with Barcelona, but the team is currently facing a situation where that dream may no longer be realistic. There has been increased conversation about Barcelona having to sell the Argentinean. Should they?

The 2013-14 season has not gone the way Los Cules expected. A year ago, when Barcelona lost 7-0 against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, most analysts stated that the defeat may have been the beginning of the end, but they also suggested that Barcelona was beat while playing without its superstar. Over the summer, the team went out and purchased youngster Neymar for a record fee and hired Argentinean Gerardo Martino to coach the team. Many suggested that Martino had been Messi's choice and the idea of bringing in Neymar was meant to give the team a second attacking option behind its main star. In essence, the team's two main moves this summer were made in hopes of giving Messi some help and making him feel more comfortable with the club.

But none of it worked out. Messi has been injured for a great portion of the year and has been unable to assert his dominance the way most of have expected. He has scored 26 goals in the Spanish League this season, but five of his last eight have not come from open play; four of those five have been off penalty shots. There were huge concerns regarding his play in the recent matches, arguably the biggest of the year. Against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League he was invisible. The same took place as his team lost 1-0 against Granada in the Spanish League. The Copa del Rey final was even more disappointing. Messi continually found himself on the wing and did not contribute to the play at all. In fact he rarely ran at the opponents to help in recovering possession and looked as a player who really did not care about being on the pitch.

So should Barcelona sell him? From a marketing situation, it would surely be a disaster. Who is your image around the world? Neymar would be the obvious choice but he has not established himself as a superstar on this team and it is possible that he may never achieve the same level as Messi.

But what about from an athletic standpoint? The current season has proven that Barcelona is in decline and the club may need to rethink its playing style and approach. The aging core, which consists of Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol and Xavi, is on its way out and the new crop of stars will likely include the likes of Sergi Roberto, Gerard Deuleofeu and Marc Bartra. Obviously Neymar at 21 years of age is also the major piece of that core and it is possible that he may need to be the number one man on the club in order to reach his potential. Maybe having Messi around is actually hurting him more than others have realized. Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff stated that this would happen back in 2013 and it seems that one year into the experiment, he has hit the nail on its head. It may be time for the team rebuild with these youngsters and find a new style of play. Why not try and purchase a group of other top players to supplement them moving forward?

Rumor has it that Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City are looking to pay a whopping 250 million euros for Messi's services. That would be a hefty amount of money that Barcelona could utilize to buy a host of solid youngsters to build Barcelona for years.

But what about next year? Is Barcelona okay with being a mediocre side for one season? The transfer ban will prevent Los Cules from improving next season. As a result, the club will have the same exact team next season without a few important contributors including goalie Victor Valdes. Even with Messi it was clear in 2013-14 that this team was no longer a top treble contender. The 2014-15 season could be even worse that this current year. Why not accept that fate and simply let the 2014-15 season be one that the young core could use to take charge of the team without the major pressure of having to win right now? Selling Messi would give the team the confidence that it could enter the summer of 2015 with the power to buy as many star players as necessary to supplement their growing core.

Should Barcelona sell Lionel Messi?