LIONEL MESSI wants to LEAVE Barcelona, according to reports.
The captain is said to have sent the club a fax informing them of his wishes to activate a release clause which will allow him to join a new team for free.
Lionel Messi has scored 21 goals for Barcelona this seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But are Barca obliged to let him go?
What does Lionel Messi’s release clause say?
A clause in Messi’s contract would indeed have allowed him to leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the 2019/20 season.
It was included as part of the four-year deal that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner signed in 2017.
But according to Sport, the clause expired in June.
Catalan journalist Guillem Balague says that that remains Barcelona’s understanding of the situation and they will defend their rights.
Accordingly, an emergency board meeting has been called.
Marca however, report that Messi believes that as the season ended in August, the clause applies now rather than having expired in June.
Lionel Messi will continue his career with Barcelona next season
Messi joined Barcelona’s youth team from Newell’s Old Boys in 2001 and penned his first professional contract in 2005.
Since his arrival, he has guided the club to ten La Liga titles, four Champions League wins and eight Spanish Cups.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
