Barcelona’s most decorated player and current Ballon D’or holder Lionel Messi has sent a fax to the club informing them he wants to leave for free according to a clause in his contract that allows him to do so.
Messi has a release clause inserted in his contract pegged at 700 million Euros but his contract also has a clause that allows him to leave for free if he tells the club to terminate his contract. The clause should be activated before the season ends on 30 June and Messi’s lawyers thinks the player still has a right to exercise the clause as the season was extended due to 31 August the Covid-19 pandemic.
His lawyers sent ‘burofax’ detailing their argument that the player must be allowed to leave according to the clause in his contract.
The development confirms rumours that have been circulating after Barcelona’s 8-2 humiliating defeat to Bayern Munich that Messi was intending to leave the club as he feels there is no meaningful sporting project at the club.
According to reports, his best friend Suarez has been informed by the recently appointed Dutch coach Ronald Koeman that he is surplus to the requirements at Barcelona and should look for a new home now.
Other players such as Arturo Vidal, Samuel Umtiti and Ivan Rakitic have been informed by Koeman that they too have to look for a new club as they are not in his plans.
Reports from Catalonia indicate the club has responded to Messi’s letter stating they want him to stay at Barcelona and finish his career at Barcelona. Other reports suggest an urgent board meeting has been convened to discuss the Messi situation but there is no total confirmation of the meeting taking place but the response to Messi’s fax.
It remains to be seen if Messi and Barcelona’s two decade union comes to an end as some analysts suggest Messi is trying to get rid of club president Josep Maria Bartomeu whom he accuses of ruining the club.
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