There are reports in Spain that Lionel Messi is in a very strong position to leave Barcelona for free, as the €700m release clause has expired.
The Ballon d’Or winner is determined to leave Camp Nou after an entire career at the club, with Manchester City the favourites to sign him, followed by Juventus, Inter and PSG.
He has now sent a burofax warning Barcelona that he will not attend today’s pre-season get-together for medical tests, including a COVID swab.
There are reports in Spain that Lionel Messi is in a very strong position to leave Barcelona for free, as the €700m release clause has expired.
The Ballon d’Or winner is determined to leave Camp Nou after an entire career at the club, with Manchester City the favourites to sign him, followed by Juventus, Inter and PSG.
He has now sent a burofax warning Barcelona that he will not attend today’s pre-season get-together for medical tests, including a COVID swab.
It is another step in the legal battle and the latest reports from Cadena SER suggest Messi is in a strong position to argue he can terminate his contract for free.
Barca argue that the clause allowing his exit has expired, but the release clause worth €700m is still valid until June 2021.
However, Cadena SER and others in Spain now claim they have inspected the contract and the €700m release clause is not valid for the 2020-21 season.
Football Espana point out although this might not necessarily guarantee Messi can leave for free, it certainly will force Barcelona to lower their demands to circa €100m.
A legal battle is in the offing and could get increasingly ugly, not to mention that other players such as Luis Suarez – also of interest to Juventus – and Inter target Arturo Vidal are also currently negotiating to terminate their contracts a year early.
They have been told in no uncertain terms by new coach Ronald Koeman that they are not part of Barca’s plans.