I’ll tell my dad on you, Barca
Leo’s father Jorge to step up bid for City move
LIONEL MESSI’S bid to force a switch to Manchester City is set to move up a gear this week when his dad Jorge meets Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu.
Relations between the world’s best player and the fallen Spanish champions are set to sour further with Barca entitled to punish Messi for missing out on their return to training.
Messi, 33, snubbed yesterday’s session with new boss Ronald Koeman after missing the club coronavirus tests on Sunday.
The Argentina star is digging in on his stance he no longer needs to train at a club where he’s no longer under contract.
His lawyers say a clause allowed him to go for nothing if he asked by June 10 – but that the date is now irrelevant because of the pandemic.
Without a Covid test he won’t be able to train with his teammates anyway – meaning he is unable to prepare with them for the new season.
Barca are backed by La Liga who maintain Messi’s contract, with a year left to run, is still enforceable with that staggering £630million buyout clause. As such, Messi would still be the club’s captain and missing two instructions to join the team is a serious offence under the league and Spanish footballers’ association’s agreement.
Messi’s father is set to meet Bartomeu tomorrow and the player’s cousin Maximiliano Biancucchi Cuccittini urged Barca to let him to go to City.
Cuccittini said: “He has to find the place where he can be happy. If he was happy at Barcelona, he would have stayed there.
“Manchester City would be a good fit.”