All hell has broken loose at Barcelona. The iconic Lionel Messi has officially asked the club to leave, a bombshell that has rocked the footballing world, with the Blaugrana now naming their price for the 33-year-old superstar.
The Argentine has been linked with an exit non-stop since the 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich but it was only made official yesterday, as it was confirmed the six-time Ballon d’Or winner informed the club via fax of his desire to part ways. The board, led by under-fire president Josep Maria Bartomeu, held an emergency meeting on Tuesday night to discuss their next course of action.
It was initially reported that Bartomeu would step down, with calls for his resignation increasing from both his political adversaries and the fans. This does not appear to be the case as the unpopular executive remains in charge. Instead, according to AS, the board decided to slap a $262M price tag on their all-time leading scorer. Any club eyeing a move for the Argentine would thus have to break the world-record transfer fee in order to land him.
This will not go down well with Leo’s camp. La Pulga wishes to have his contract terminated given that he has a clause in his deal permitting him to leave for free at the end of each season. Here is where things get muddy. That clause states he must inform the Catalan giants 20 days before 10 June 2020, as this date was seen as the end of the 2019/20 season. Messi’s lawyers insist that due to the coronavirus and suspension of football, the end of the season was the August 23 Champions League final, meaning the Argentine should receive an extended period.
There have been suggestions that a legal battle could ensue but Barcelona are confident as even if the aforementioned extended period was accepted, the 33-year-old would still have had to inform the club 20 days prior to PSG vs Bayern, which he did not. Regardless, the Blaugrana aren’t keen on a legal battle and simply reiterated their desire for Messi to remain and finish his professional career at Barcelona in their response to his fax.
The club cannot and will not force him to stay, hence the price tag. The likes of PSG, Man City, Man United, and Inter Milan have all been linked with the Argentine magician. However, it is hard to see any of these clubs coughing up the asking price for a 33-year-old given the financial devastation COVID-19 has brought upon the world.
