Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi Barcelona

Lionel Messi looks all set to end his decades old relationship with FC Barcelona and a series of top European clubs interested in signing him right now.

Clubs like Inter Milan, PSG and Manchester United have all been linked with the Argentine ever since the news of his exit became public but it’s Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City who are currently the front runners in signing him this summer.

Sky Sports are also claiming that Lionel Messi has failed to report for Barcelona’s coronavirus testing which is a clear indication that the the 33-year-old has no intentions of staying at Camp Nou any longer.

But now in a major revelation, La Liga have come out to back Barcelona by making it clear that a release clause of £632million is still very much active in Messi’s current contract.

They said in an official statement, as reported: “In relation to the different interpretations (some of them contradictory to each other) published in recent days in different media, related to the contractual situation of the player Lionel Andrés Messi with FC Barcelona, ​​LaLiga wishes to clarify that with regards to the player’s contract with his club:

  • The contract is currently in force and has a “termination clause” applicable to the event that Lionel Andrés Messi decides to activate the early unilateral termination of the contract, carried out in accordance with article 16 of Royal Decree 1006/1985, of June 26, which regulates the special employment relationship of professional athletes.
  • In compliance with the applicable regulations, and following the corresponding procedure in these cases, LaLiga will not carry out the prior visa process for the player to be removed from the federation if they have not previously paid the amount of said clause.”

This will undoubtedly be a huge blow for all the interested clubs especially since Barcelona are in no mood to part ways with Lionel Messi this summer.

The player’s current contract with the La Liga giants expires next summer and now it’s almost certain that the 33-year-old is not putting pen on paper to a new deal.

So now it will be interesting to see if Barcelona are willing to cash in on the Argentine this ongoing transfer window or are they willing to risk losing one of the best players of the modern generation as a free agent?

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