The President of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, has insisted that Lionel Messi’s departure from Barcelona will not affect TV rights.

Messi arrived in France to sign for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent this week.

The 34-year-old was welcomed by a massive crowd from the airport to the club’s facilities in Paris.

Many observers have suggested that TV numbers will drop for LaLiga, just as Ligue 1 numbers are expected to rise as a result of the Messi factor.

Tebas, speaking on Thursday, said: “Obviously, it hurts that Messi leaves, but we’ve worked hard so that our audiovisual income doesn’t fall.

“There’s no clause in our international TV rights contracts for if Messi goes… [Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar] are important, they help, but they aren’t essential.”