City on alert as Messi tells Barca: I’m off!
LIONEL Messi has communicated to Barcelona via fax that he wants to leave the club on a free transfer this summer. The extraordinary development potentially puts the 33-year-old within reach of a dramatic move to Manchester City and a reunion with Pep Guardiola. Veronica Brunati, the Argentine journalist who is close to the player, broke the story last night and it was subsequently confirmed by sources close to the Catalan club. Messi’s discontent is nothing new but the possibility of a free transfer is. The suggestion is that Messi believes a clause in his contract allowing him to walk away for nothing is still valid because the season ended in August and not May because of the coronavirus pandemic. Barcelona say the deadline for
Messi to leave for free passed in June and will contest the player’s argument that the deadline changed when the season was rearranged after lockdown. Messi is supposed to report for the new season on Sunday for a scheduled coronavirus test but has no intention of meeting new coach Ronald Koeman or attending Monday’s subsequent first training session. The bombshell opens the way to three different scenarios:
The club could simply point to Messi’s £630million release clause and stick to their belief that his chance to leave on a free passed in June.
They could accept that he wants to go and open negotiations to buy out the final year of his deal as they are doing with Luis Suarez.
Or Messi’s move could spark outrage among the fans and a vote of no-confidence in president Josep Bartomeu forcing elections. The first of these three options is likely to be their initial reaction. But there is a growing belief that at least part of the board want Messi to leave. The former Barcelona president Joan Laporta accused Bartomeu of wanting to sell Messi. ‘I suspect they want to sell Messi,’ he said in a tweet. ‘Poor Barca in the hands of these incompetents.’ Messi earns £45m net a season and that costs the club close to £90m gross with tax payments.
City, who could possibly afford his wages, might appeal to Messi not only because of his links with Guardiola but also fellow Argentine Sergio Aguero is one of his best friends. Reports last night that Chelsea are keen on a deal appear to be wide of the mark as they would not be able to afford Messi’s wages. Barcelona’s stance towards Messi has changed drastically since the 8-2 exit to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals. President Bartomeu has not spoken to the club captain since the debacle. Koeman has already said he does not want anyone at the club who does not want to be there.